History of the Generals: Inu no Taisho
by Wolf Blossom
Summary: Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.
1. Prelude to the History

**History of the Generals: Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

**Note – PLEASE READ  
**_This saga that I am beginning is a retelling of the History of the Dog Generals. It will begin with Taisho and follow his story until the birth of Inuyasha, wherein which he passes away. This is a three part series, with parts two and three as co-requisites: they can be read simultaneous to each other._

_The series will be long since it is a retelling. It will begin with Taisho and branch off to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. It will be canonized and alternate reality all in one. I will be taking major components from the anima/manga but will throw in some AU/AR components as well._

_If you want to join me for the journey from the beginning of time, I welcome you with open arms. But if this isn't your cup of tea, by all means that is alright as well. For those who are partaking in this adventure, I hope you enjoy the saga._

_-Wolf Blossom_

_.xx._

_Prelude to the History_

There was a tempest wind; cold and unwavering, that blew through the endless plains of the Continent Japan. It could only mark one thing; the coming of a fierce storm. Although it was the night of the new moon, the clouds had blocked out the stars and what would have been a clear navy blue sky.

The thunder began roaring. It was as if Almighty Himself was beating upon a pair of wondrous drums, playing a dangerous tune that called forth rain and gale. Within the dreary weather, inside of a sophisticated hut was a fairly weak dog demoness giving birth to her first—and quite possibly her only— pup. Covered with the pelt of a bear demon, Tsukika lay tired and sweaty from the pain that came with birthing.

"Love," her beloved mate cooed as he stroked her face, "you're doing great… You're almost there. We'll soon be parents."

"Muteki," Tsukika closed her eyes. Her silver locks framed her face, her striking and unusual golden eyes hidden behind her eyelids. "I fear that…"

"No!" the great demon barked. "You fear _nothing_."

A tear rolled down Tsukika's pale face as she turned her head away from her husband. Eyes closed, she said, "I feel my time has come. Just promise me that you will _always_ love our pup."

Muteki, the first in command of the Legion of Dogs—a secret service that worked for the Daiyoukai of the West—snarled dangerously as he tightened his hold on his mate's hand. "Stop talking shit, Tsukika. You're going to live; we're going to have _many_ more pups together. Hell, we'll even have _grandpups_."

Tsukika smiled sadly at him, her lips echoing the remnants of her broken dreams. "I hope so too." Muteki kissed his wife's forehead and continued to caress her cheek. The rain had begun pouring and the midwife demoness was due to arrive at their place of residence any time.

Tsukika's pregnancy had gone unwell because she had been attacked when she was in the beginning stages of her pregnancy. The attack caused some complications to arise; their pup would be born premature. Due to the nature of the complications, the midwife demons stated that either the pup or the mother will die at childbirth, and that Muteki had a choice of which one survived.

Tsukika stated that she wanted her pup to live on, and that that was her last wish.

"What would you name him?" Muteki muzzled his mate's cheek, trying to get over the previous sad topic of conversation. Tsukika smiled at him; although she was weak and afraid of death, she couldn't be more excited. The pure knowledge of giving way to the arms of death after giving birth to a new life was the only thing that willed Tsukika to keep going.

"We could name him Muteki?" she croaked out. Her voice was hoarse from not drinking water.

Muteki screwed his eyes. "I refuse. My son will not be my namesake. What about…" Muteki tapped his chin. "Akuma?"

Tsukika gave him a deadpan look. "I am sorry, but I don't want my son to be made fun of—I mean he _is_ going to be alive for quite some time."

Muteki laughed. "Fine." He trailed kisses from her temple down to the column of her neck and proceeded to play with her mark. Tsukika heaved a heavy sigh and Muteki stopped his shower of affection and pulled back a few inches.

"Love," he murmured, "I _promise_ you that you will be fine. You will **not** die."

Tsukika studied his face. "How can you be so sure?" She felt her body beginning to weaken with every word she whispered. The child inside of her was moving and she knew that any moment now she would be giving birth to their beautiful baby boy—the smell of his gender quite strong in the confinements of their hut.

"I just am."

Thunder continued to roar and the weather was riling up. Muteki looked out of his window, his hand still firmly holding his mate's, and simply stared. He stared at the scenery outside—the way the world was welcoming the grand entrance of his son. It was, inappropriately to say, quite regal. His son had his own music playing (the thunder), had his own light show (the lightening), and Almighty Himself was shedding tears of happiness at the coming of such a demon (the rain).

Suddenly, just like how the storm appeared, Muteki knew what to name his son.

Turning to his mate, he whispered: "Taisho." She looked up at him quizzically.

"Taisho," he murmured once more as he trailed his fingertips down her cheek. "We will name him Taisho, and he will one day be the _Daiyoukai_."

Tsukika paused.

And then smiled.

"Taisho," she whispered, "I love it."

.xx.

The midwife demon, Sukilyn, placed a white cloth over Tsukika's face and lowered her head in respect. Muteki held onto his son and stared at his mate's covered face with tears in his eyes… He felt horrible, he felt responsible; it was his duty to forever protect his mate but how could he protect her from giving birth to their own pup? Muteki constantly kicked himself for not being able to be there when she was attacked so long ago. Maybe then she would be alive.

The thunder storm had waned and a moonless sky was visible overhead. Stars twinkled aimlessly and the clouds of storm had rolled away—it was the night of the New Moon.

Sukilyn looked over at the leader of the Legion of Dogs. "Lord Muteki?"

His golden eyes flickered to the demoness. She, too, had silver hair and ochre eyes; a staple of Dog Demons everywhere. There existed no dog demon that did not have silver hair and golden eyes— not to the knowledge of Muteki at least.

"Are you alright?"

Muteki looked down at his bundle of joy; a sleeping Taisho. Affectionately, Muteki kissed his son's forehead and looked back up at Sukilyn. "I will be," he murmured. "Tsukika loved Taisho long before he was even born. She gave her life for him."

Sukilyn wiped the tears from her eyes. Tsukika was a grand demoness; she cared for every member of the Daiyoukai Castle and took it unto herself to help the nurse-demons aid the injured warriors that returned from battle. Tsukika, though born to peasant Dog Demons, married into nobility when she captured the heart of the greatest warrior of the West: Muteki. They had been married for twenty-four hundred moon cycles before they decided to have a pup… but alas, not all stories fare well.

"We need to present the young one to the Daiyoukai," Sukilyn whispered, standing up. "I will send for the men to prepare the body of Lady Tsukika for cremation."

Muteki nodded, holding tightly onto his son. He leaned over the body of his wife and gently pulled back the white cloth. Her face was white, lifeless—so unlike what Muteki was used to. Choking back tears, he pressed a gentle kiss onto her forehead and murmured I love you before pulling back. Clearing his throat, Muteki nodded at Sukilyn and exited his hut with gallantry.

It was then Sukilyn's tears fell freely from her face. She looked at Tsukika's lifeless body and closed her eyes tightly.

_You'll forever be missed, Lady Tsukika._

.xx.

"Taisho!" Muteki roared for his young pup to stop fooling around. Looking back at his father, Taisho blinked twice before cracking a toothy grin and darting away once more. Groaning in annoyance, Muteki decided to let his son have some fun while he can before he cracked down on him once more.

"Quite the ball of energy, isn't he?"

Muteki looked beside him to see his good friend Ounou step up beside him. In his arms was his newly born daughter, Kimi.

"Tell me about it," Muteki rubbed his temples. "I'm trying to teach him out to scout for game and all he does is pull down his pants and take a fucking piss. I swear to the Daiyoukai I'm gonna tie Taisho to a tree and leave him there."

Ounou stifled his laughter. His silver hair was tied back into a high ponytail and he was wearing peasant garb instead of his usual pelt—he wasn't on duty with the Legion of Dog, so he wasn't required to don his uniform. Wordlessly, Ounou handed Inukimi to Muteki and cracked his neck. Cradling the little girl, the leader of the Legion of Dogs looked at his friend quizzically.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Ounou grinned at Muteki. "Training your brat. Watch and learn, Muteki." Turning and locking eyes with Taisho, Ounou broke into a sprint. Taisho screamed and before he could scramble away, Ounou pulled him up by his collar and glared at him, baring his fangs.

"Listen, runt," Ounou snarled, "you _will_ listen to Uncle Ounou and do what I say or I **will** dump you in the Wolf Cave and have the demons feast on your meatless body. Understood?"

Taisho's eyes widened and he whimpered, slowly murmured a soft _yes, Uncle._ Ounou released the boy and crossed his arms. All the while Muteki was watching in sheer amusement—apparently Taisho feared _everybody_ but his own father. The kid truly_ was_ his son.

"You are _one_ with nature, understood?" Ounou stated firmly. "You _become_ nature herself when you scout for game. If you get scared and run to your father…" Ounou paused for a second. "Don't doubt that I'll take you over to the wolves _tonight_."

Taisho hesitantly looked at his father but Ounou roared. "You will **not** look away when I am speaking to you, understood, runt?"

Muteki shook his head and looked down at the little girl in his arms. She was surreally beautiful and Muteki couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips. If Tsukika were alive, perhaps Taisho would have a younger sibling right about now—although training them _both_ to scout for game would've proved to be very difficult and _very _tiresome.

"Closer to the ground," Ounou's voice was a lot nicer, but still firm. "You need to blend in with your surroundings. Yes, good—perfect." Ounou cracked a grin. "Your ass is pretty good at following instructions once you actually _start_ listening, eh Toga?"

Taisho pouted. "Don't call me Toga."

Ounou chuckled. "C'mere, runt. I'm sorry I yelled at you, but somebody had to do it."

Taisho glared at Ounou skeptically before going to give him a hug. Ounou picked him up and plopped him on his shoulders before walking back to a bemused Muteki.

"I told you I could get your runt to learn something today."

"Yeah, yeah," Muteki rolled his eyes. "When your daughter is old enough to scout, we'll see how well you do then."

Ounou snickered. "We'll see. Come on, Daiyoukai is putting together a feast today to commemorate the new members of the Legion of Dogs. You have to give a toast, Muteki."

Muteki sighed. "Don't remind me. I hate giving speeches." He looked up at his son who was grinning at the world, proud to be at such a high altitude and not paying attention to what his father and Uncle Ounou were talking about. "I wonder if Toga would want to be part of the Legion."

"My name is Taisho!" Apparently the runt _was_ paying attention. Ounou laughed.

"Alright, alright, _Taisho_. Do you want to be part of the Legion of Dogs?"

Taisho looked at his father and then at the top of Ounou's head. "No," he stated firmly. Muteki raised his eyebrow and Ounou was bemused.

"No, eh? Then what _do_ you want to be?"

Taisho had a wide grin plastered onto his face. "I will be Daiyoukai of the West one day! And then Father will fight for _my_ army."

Instantly, Muteki and Ounou burst into laughter. Taisho didn't get why the grownups were laughing but joined in nonetheless. The two older demons looked at each other and shook their heads; Taisho was such a little joker.

"Alright then, runt," Muteki grinned at his son, "you better become Daiyoukai one day—and I will be your right hand man."

Taisho beamed. "I promise, I will."

_.xx._

_Beginning of history commences. Muteki and Tsukika are my own characters, they are not actually Taisho's parents. This story begins from the beginning of Taisho's life and it will end with his grandchildren._

_It will be a long saga, undoubtedly, but I will be honoured if you join me for this journey. It's a great undertaking but I hope that you will all enjoy this. Any questions, comments, concerns leave it in the reviews (signed in please, otherwise I can't respond to you) or drop me a personal message._

**Beta-edited: Sakura-chan Master of the Clow**


	2. Leader of the Dogs

**History of the Generals: Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Leader of the Dogs_

Regal and proud, Taisho bowed before the Daiyoukai, accepting his newfound title as the Leader of the Dogs—he had become his father's successor. Eyes downcast, Taisho focused on the cracks on the floor as the ceremony proceeded around him. His ears were focused on the words the Daiyoukai was saying; his nose was zoned in on the scent of pride his father was emitting.

"I bestow you the weapon that is wielded by all Leaders," the Daiyoukai stated in a commanding and authoritative voice, "the Blade of the West!" Kimi, Taisho's childhood friend and the Daiyoukai's niece, stepped out from the shadows with a dangerous sword balanced between her hands. Kimi's mother was the Daiyoukai's younger sister, making her the Daiyoukai's blood relative and blood successor of the throne since the Daiyoukai did not sire any pups of his own… yet.

He was still avidly searching for a suitable mate.

Kimi approached her uncle and bowed in respect. It was the first time since the ceremony began that Taisho raised his eyes; his ochre orbs locked with Kimi's. Her lip twitched and she smirked conspicuously.

It wasn't unknown that Kimi harboured deep feelings for Taisho.

It was also not unknown that Taisho did not return those feelings.

"Take it, Taisho," the Daiyoukai beamed in pride, "take it and accept your position as the Commander of the Legion of Dogs."

For a split second, Taisho looked over at his father—time had weathered him down. Though Muteki still looked as strong and able-bodied as he did over seventy-two hundred moon cycles ago, when Taisho was still just a pup, Muteki was worn out and torn down. He had scars that represented different battles that he had fought; the most significant one being the wound he received while fighting the great dragon, Ryuukotsusei. Though Muteki had received a large scar across his back from that battle, he been able to wound Ryuukotsusei bad enough to have the dragon flee from the West.

Pushing himself up from his crouching position, Taisho locked eyes with the Daiyoukai before reaching over and grabbing the golden-hilted blade. "I accept this position, with all the honour and pride that I have, in being a warrior in the Legion of Dogs."

The Daiyoukai grinned. "And now the Legion is yours, Taisho."

Both the members of the Legion and the Daiyoukai family cheered as Taisho tightly clutched the Blade of the West; a golden-hilted, silver plated, jagged edged sword. Weilding the sword, Taisho turned around to face the audience. His eyes instantly went to his father's and Taisho felt a surge of pride seeing the _look_ of pride in the eyes of Muteki. Taisho was proud of his father—of how the grand demon had been the most excellent of fathers to him throughout the ages, even with no mate by his side. Taisho never felt like he lacked a mother. Though he did miss the thought of having one from time to time, Muteki would always shower him with enough affection that mirrored two parents.

Not one.

"Lord Taisho," The Daiyoukai called for him. Taisho turned around and looked at the Lord of the West—the strongest demon of the time. "You may call upon one demon to be at your side when we walk to the Dining Hall for our meal. It is customary, as it is necessary."

_It proves to the world where your loyalties lay,_ Taisho's mind echoed his father's words, _you may choose anybody, son, but make sure that the one you choose reflects the honour you possess and the honour you represent._

Clearing his throat, Taisho looked firmly at the Daiyoukai and said in the same authoritative voice that the Daiyoukai had, "I wish for Muteki, my father, to be at my side."

The members of the Legion and the Daiyoukai family applauded Taisho's decision. In a heartbeat Muteki was at his son's side, placing a hand on Taisho's left shoulder. Both dogs glanced at each other and shared the same toothy smirk that they were known for. Muteki was more than proud of his son.

"We feast," The Daiyoukai raised his hands, "and _nobody_ in this room will spread the word of the new Leader." The Daiyoukai's eyes were fierce. "The Legion of Dogs is a secret service; demons _think_ they exist, but aren't sure of what reality is. So let us keep it that way."

Everybody bowed their head to acknowledge what he said. Placing his hands back to his sides, the Daiyoukai stepped off of his throne, a goofy grin plastered onto his face: "Let's go… I'm so hungry!"

_.xx._

"So sweet," Ounou playfully punched Taisho, "you had your old man be at your side for the walk! Muteki made _me_ walk with him when he first became the Leader."

Taisho smirked at his uncle. "Evidently I have more brains _a__nd_ honour than father."

"Amen." Muteki nodded; the three demons shared a quick chuckle. "Apart from my lack of honour, I saw the way Kimi was looking at Toga throughout the ceremony." Muteki nudged his friend who raised his eyebrow.

"Me too. What is going on between you and my daughter, Toga?"

"It's Taisho," the new Leader of the Dogs muttered annoyingly. "Where the hell did you two come up with Toga?"

Muteki shrugged. "I don't really know… when you were younger, you'd try to say Taisho but always ended up saying _Taigo._ Toga just _came_ from there. Hell, it was cute when you couldn't argue against it. Come to think of it," Muteki tapped his chin, "it's still cute now."

Ounou nodded in agreement. They took their seats along the long banquet table and waited for the rest of the Legion of Dogs to be seated. Taisho glanced over at his father and uncle. "And besides, Kimi was beyond the line of demon sight throughout the entire ceremony, how could you _possibly_ see the way she was looking at me?"

Muteki's eyes twinkled. "Call it a father's intuition?"

"You suck." Ounou snorted. "Boy, just mate with my daughter and let's get over it. You're the Leader; she's the successor of the Western Throne. What more could you possibly want?"

"Love."

The answer was so curt, so quickly said, that Muteki and Ounou's head whipped to the side to stare at Taisho. He didn't dare look at them – he _knew_ it was common knowledge that he didn't have feelings for Kimi, but never did he voice it.

"Love grows," Ounou murmured, "Kimi's mother and I were arranged to be mated."

"And you love her more than life itself now, don't you?" Muteki nudged his friend and Ounou blushed, nodding. Taisho wanted to gag—sure these two dogs were important to him, but they were by _no_ means his friends. Seeing them interact in such a manner was disturbing.

Across the table, Taisho saw his two best friends and fellow Legionnaires: Yabai and Susamajii-Inu. Both demons were laughing with their heads thrown back, amused at the situation Taisho was in. Taisho bore his fangs and Yabai rolled his eyes, pushing his silver bangs out of his face.

"AND NOW!" Everybody looked at the Daiyoukai who was standing at the head of the table. "THE CUSTOMARY SPEECH… Muteki, if you please?"

Taisho wanted to laugh. _He hates giving speeches…_

Muteki stood up and cleared his throat, overlooking all the guests at the table. Finally, his eyes rested on his son and stayed there.

"What should I say?" He began. "What _can_ I say? I raised this boy from the minute he came out of his mother; I've tried to give him every opportunity in his life, hoping that he never missed the mother he never knew. We had ups and downs, fights… _big_ fights—" Everybody laughed, remembering when Taisho and Muteki had scrapped in the courtyard not too long ago. It had to be the biggest fight any of the dogs had ever seen that happened between two of their own dogs. "But at the end of the day, he always knew where his roots were. This boy is my successor in every way: in title, and in blood. I don't think there could've been a better choice for the new leader." He winked at the crowd. "But then again, I'm his biased father. I _have_ to love him."

First there was laughter, and then a standing ovation. Taisho stood up and hugged his father tightly, wordlessly telling his old man that he loved him more than anything. When the applause died down, the Daiyoukai commanded for the feast to begin.

Not needing to be told twice, Taisho grabbed the leg of a hog.

_.xx._

"Leader of the Dogs," Yabai rubbed his chin, which had his signature silver stubble on it, as he walked beside his best friend. "It has a nice ring to it." They finished dinner and the three friends decided to take a stroll through the castle courtyard. The sun was beginning to set and the courtyard was empty—not a soul was wondering; they were all partying inside of the Daiyoukai palace.

"It isn't Daiyoukai," Taisho scoffed. Susamajii-Inu and Yabai knew of Taisho's desire to become the next Daiyoukai. But the only possible way _he_ could get the true title was if he murdered the current Daiyoukai and all of his successors.

Which meant Kimi.

Or, if Taisho was _really_ lucky, the Daiyoukai could just hand the throne to him which bypasses Kimi, the actual successor to the throne. But that was as possible as Taisho murdering the entire Daiyoukai Family- slim to none. "Maybe," Susamajii-Inu said, excitedly, "if you mate with Kimi and _she_ becomes the Daiyoukai, then you'd be mated to the leader!"

"_I_ want to be the leader of the West," Taisho murmured, "not the mate of the leader. Thanks for your effort though."

"I hate it when he's sarcastic," Susamajii-Inu mumbled and Yabai laughed.

"How about you just poison everybody in the family," Yabai shrugged, "then, by law, the leader of the Legion gets the throne."

"Right. And if everybody finds out that the Leader was the one that committed high treason?" Taisho raised his eyebrow.

Yabai smirked. "You get your head chopped off and I become the Daiyoukai, since I _am_ your right-wing dog."

Susamajii-Inu smacked Yabai. "Stop talking shit, asshole."

"Takes one to know one," Yabai muttered as he nursed the bruise that Susamajii-Inu gave him.

Taisho rolled his eyes. He had to hand it to his friends; they were the comic relief that he needed in his life. "Being the Leader of the Dogs is great… but…"

"But it's not what you want," Yabai muttered. "We know that Taisho, but what we _don't_ know is how the hell you're going to get that title. You refuse to mate with Kimi, and we're not about to commit high treason. What other options are there?"

Susamajii-Inu glanced at both of his friends. "Dogs, the only way that Toga—"

"Taisho." The annoyed new Leader corrected automatically and Yabai playfully nudged Susamajii-Inu.

"Oh, sorry great Leader," Susamajii-Inu snickered. "The only way _Taisho_ can acquire the title is to not outshine the Daiyoukai. Suck up to him like you've _never_ sucked up before. _Then_, and only then will you stand the same odds as a snowball's chance in hell in having the throne passed directly to you. You know," Susamajii-Inu shrugged, "bypassing Kimi, in essence."

"Right." Taisho snorted. "Snowball's chance in hell, hmm?"

Yabai shrugged. "You never know—why _are_ you so adamant in becoming Daiyoukai though?"

Inuyasha idly looked at his two friends. "I just am." He had never voiced the reason as to why he wanted to become Daiyoukai so badly. Nobody except for his father knew of his reason and Taisho intended it to keep it that way. The three friends made it to the other end of the courtyard where a few demonesses were chitchatting. One of them looked at the three Legionnaires and blushed a rather obvious shade of red. The other two were better at concealing their emotion.

"Hello," Susamajii-Inu curtly greeted them. He liked to portray himself as the _colder _and much more emotionless demon between the three of them. He said it helped keep an air of mysteriousness that he rather enjoyed. _Bitches love that_, was his rational behind it. Taisho and Yabai loved teasing him though.

The demonesses returned the greeting and stayed to chat for a few moments before scurrying off. Yabai snickered. "They're _so_ in love with you, Toga."

Taisho warily looked at his friend. "Trust me, I am _well_ aware."

"Too bad we don't have your cunning charm and rugged good looks." Susamajii-Inu teased as he nudged his friend. Taisho grinned devilishly, his fangs glistening underneath the light of the setting sun.

"Not everybody can be blessed, I assure you."

"Modesty works well for you, I see." Susamajii-Inu commented and Yabai laughed. The three demons, rather suddenly, caught the scent of the Daiyoukai's messenger behind them. They turned around to indeed find Kiiyoki running towards them from the other end of the courtyard. He had a rather sullen look on his face and it sparked a little worry in the pit of Taisho's stomach.

Kiiyoki _never_ spoke to anybody.

And when he did, he _never_ had a look of worry on his face.

The fact that he was running towards them with a look of worry well… worried Taisho. Kiiyoki finally approached them and took a moment to catch his breath; Susamajii-Inu and Yabai exchanged glances and Taisho placed a hand on Kiiyoki's back.

"What happened?"

"Dai—" Kiiyoki panted. "Youkai… wants to see you… Taisho…"

"Me?" Taisho murmured. "Why does he want to see me?"

Kiiyoki finally caught his breath. "I don't know," he responded. "He was pulled away from the festivities and then suddenly sent word to find you."

Taisho frowned. "Alright… where is he?"

"His chamber. I _think_ it may have something to do with the Wolf Demons but that's all I can say," Kiiyoki urged Taisho to go meet with the Daiyoukai in his chamber. "You must go see him, immediately."

Nodding, Taisho bade his friend's farewell before bounding towards the Daiyoukai's office. Kiiyoki bowed at Susamajii-Inu and Yabai before turning around and running off—the remaining two remained standing where they were.

"Do you think we have to go out on another secret mission?" Yabai asked Susamajii-Inu who shrugged.

"Maybe? I wouldn't be surprised… the Wolves _have_ been acting up as of late."

"Leader Toga can finally impress us with the skill that's gotten him promoted, eh?" Yabai snickered and Susamajii-Inu laughed while nodding in agreement.

_.xx._

Taisho bowed to the Daiyoukai before standing up and meeting eyes with him. They were in the Daiyoukai's chamber; a place where he often held meetings with his Legionnaires. Taisho made a note to get used to this room; he would be seeing it often both as the leader and as the unknown future Daiyoukai.

"I am sorry for pulling you away from your festivities." the Daiyoukai offered. "But this matter cannot be put off."

"I am aware of my duties," Taisho's voice was low, "and that it may come before acts of luxury."

The Daiyoukai smiled. "Boy, I know you will make me proud—we have done well in choosing you to lead our secret service."

Taisho smiled.

"A few of our dogs _have_ been attacked in the south. I am saddened to say that we have lost a few, but the surviving dogs have made it back to the castle and are being healed as we speak." Taisho was in shock—_attacked_? "Suspicions are confirmed: the Wolf Demons are guilty."

"What?" Taisho blared. "In the _south_? But that's Panther Demon territory!"

The Daiyoukai nodded sullenly. "I am aware. I don't know what game they're playing, whether the panthers are allied with the wolves or not, but we have lost dogs and that is not something we take lightly. So, I propose that we send a little… _warning_… to Yorozoku."

Taisho raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you have in mind, Daiyoukai?"

_.xx._

**Characters we have met so far:  
**_Chapter 1-_

Muteki (Taisho's father)  
Tsukika (Taisho's mother)  
Sukilyn (midwife demoness)  
Ounou (Muteki's best friend)  
Kimi (Ounou's daughter)  
Taisho

_Chapter 2-_

Yabai (Taisho's best friend)  
Susamajii-Inu (Taisho's best friend)  
Kiiyoki (Daiyoukai's messenger)  
Ryuukotsusei (mentioned in the chapter)  
Yorozoku (name was mentioned in this chapter, he is the leader of the Wolves, aka Ayame's grandfather)

**At the end of every chapter for this part of the trilogy I will be naming new characters as we meet them. This is because this part of the trilogy will be dominated by OC's, so it may get confusing. I'm hoping that, by listing characters we've met and who they are in relation to the main characters; it will lessen the confusion and will also serve as something to refer back to from future chapters in case we need a refresher on who is who.**

**ALSO: the Daiyoukai is still nameless; he will be referred to as Daiyoukai until his name is said.**


	3. Secret Mission to the Wolf Demon Tribe

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Secret Mission to the Wolf Demon Tribe_

"Ready, dogs?" Taisho roared imperially as he stood before his Legion of Dogs. Simultaneous howls erupted as the legionnaires voiced that they were more than ready to teach the mangy wolves a lesson. Nobody touched the Dogs and got away with it. Behind Taisho were the other higher officials of the Legion of Dogs: Muteki, Ounou, Kuro-Inu, and Koroshiya. The Daiyoukai had decided to send the best of the best in this little warning.

Taisho turned back to the officials of the Legion. "We're ready to head out."

Ounou smirked. "Then lead the way, great Leader."

Taisho matched Ounou's look as he turned around to face his dogs. "We're going to use the element of surprise. The Dogs trained in tactical marine spying will reach the North byway of the river's path." A small group of demons that were trained heavily in the art of fighting in the water let out a yelp. "The Dogs that are trained in tactical aerial spying will reach the North byway of the sky path." This time, a larger group let out their roars.

"And lastly," Taisho bore the smirk that he was known for, "the rest of us who are masters of stealth will sneak up to their cave from all around. There are three deceptors that I've already sent to the Wolf Tribe. They're going to blend in—pretend to be wolves."

Demons that had been part of the Legion of Dogs for _thousands_ of moon cycles were still unfamiliar with how the deceptors manipulated scents to blend in and deceive certain races of demons. Maybe that was what made them so deadly: their secrecy and many abilities. Taisho turned back to the officials once more. "We're each taking a certain rout. Father and Ounou, both of you will take the Miyaji River's path. Kuro-Inu and Koroshiya, you both will scale through the mountains, take out _any_ wolves you see."

"And you?" Koroshiya asked.

"Me and my dogs are going through the forest."

_.xx._

The other groups had already departed but Taisho made his group linger back in the castle for a few hours longer. He strategized that dispersing the dog demons would play to their advantage a lot better than everybody leaving in chunks at once. Some of his dogs were sparring in the courtyard while others were bidding their mates farewell. Taisho had a small tankard of sake and he sipped it carefully as he overlooked the courtyard. He was on the upstairs balcony, just north of the Diayoukai's bedroom.

His nose caught the scent of Kimi but he made no move to acknowledge her.

"Taisho?" Her voice was meek and questioning. Taisho glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was standing directly behind him.

"Kimi." He greeted before taking another sip of his sake and turning back to watching his dogs. He heard movement before finding Kimi standing next to him, too close for comfort. He took a step away from her and saw her stiffen slightly. Taisho took another sip of his sake and thought of what his father always said to him: _You say you won't do it, boy, but you probably will__ drown yourself in alcohol whenever you're faced with a situation you'd rather not be in_. _I do it, my father did it, and our forefathers did it- it's in our bloodline._

Taisho took _another_ sip of his sake before realizing what he did. _Keh,_ he thought. Kimi sighed loudly and leaned onto her arms that were on the guardrail of the balcony. "When are you dogs leaving?"

Taking a moment to answer her Taisho watched a few of the dogs pull out their swords and spar in the courtyard; they were bidding their time until they had to hack through the forest to take down the Wolves. "Sundown," Taisho answered and glanced at Kimi, "your uncle made sure that we had a plan ready to take down the Wolves. Yorozoku doesn't have a chance against us."

Kimi made a sound and exhaled loudly. "Think you'll be gone for long?"

Taisho shrugged. "However long it takes." He pushed himself off of the guardrail and looked over at her; she was beautiful, without a doubt, but she wasn't the one for Taisho. Pushing his bangs out of his eyes, he crushed the tankard in his hand with no effort at all. "Weeks, months, maybe I won't even return at all."

Kimi's eyes widened and she took a step towards Taisho. "No," she whispered, "stay safe… please…"

He took a step back and said: "No guarantees, Princess," before turning around and leaving the vicinity. He wasn't in the mood for Kimi's advances—she never understood that she'd be nothing more than just a good friend to him. He cared about her, yes. They grew up together, yes. If any man, dog, fucking two headed snake demon with a fucking _limp_ tried to touch her he would rip them into shreds, but he didn't harbour any feelings for her.

Taisho could only hope that Kimi, one day, understood that.

_.xx._

Susamajii-Inu was trained in the art of aerial fighting and had already left with Kuro-Inu and Koroshiya early in the morning. By noon, Muteki, Ounou, and the rest of the marine fighters had departed and the dogs trained in the art of stealth were bidding their time before their departure. Yabai, who was one of the stealth masters, approached his best friend as Taisho descended the stairs from the balcony.

"Sometimes you're kind of mean, Toga," Yabai stated as he playfully punched his friend's arm. Taisho shrugged.

"It isn't my fault that some demons cannot take a hint."

Yabai snickered. "She's gorgeous, though."

"Then you mate with her."

"I would, if she didn't have eyes only for you."

Taisho sighed. "Drop it, Yabai. Did you bid your mother farewell?"

Yabai nodded. "Yep, and my sisters too. Did you know that Yuna has a crush on you?"

Taisho smirked. "I did, actually. Yuna asked if I was willing to wait for her to grow up so that we could mate and live happily ever after." Yuna was Yabai's youngest sister—only six hundred moon cycles old, whereas Taisho was well over ten thousand moon cycles. When Yabai wasn't around, Taisho and Susamajii-Inu acted like the big, tough, scary sentries that guarded her every step. It was fun watching the pissed off expressions on her face, but it was even _more_ fun watching puny demons run away scared with their tails between their legs.

Yabai gagged. "Tell me you said no!"

"I said that you'd be _overjoyed_ that I could potentially be your dog brother-in-law and that I'd wait as long as it takes for her to grow up." Taisho burst into laughter as Yabai began coughing uncontrollably.

"You didn't actually!"

Taisho shrugged. "Go ask her—" whatever he was about to say next was cut off when some of the Legionnaires called out _Lord Taisho_! Smirking, and playfully shoving Yabai, Taisho marched off, his hair flowing in the light breeze. Yabai merely glared at his retreating figure.

"Don't scare me like that, _ever_, Toga!" He called out, faux menacingly.

_.xx._

Kimi retreated to her bedroom with a heavy heart. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried, Taisho would not give her a sparing glance. Curling up onto her futon, she traced patterns onto the cushion beside her, wanting to forget her conversation from earlier. What was she expecting? That he'd hug her and tell her he'd miss her? That he'd bestow upon her the love and affection she was yearning?

_Get a hold of yourself, Kimi,_ she scolded, _he would never act like that._

But a part of her yearned, and hoped, that he would. She blinked back her tears, feeling stupid for crying over a demon that didn't reciprocate the feelings she displayed. Was there anything wrong with her? She was told she was beautiful, she was the most educated demoness of all time, and she was the next in line to become the Daiyoukai.

So why didn't Taisho want to be with her?

Sitting up, Kimi blinked to rid herself of the blurriness her tears had caused. _Perhaps I should speak to mother,_ she thought. _It would be the perfect time since father and the rest of the Legionnaires have gone to the East._

She had decided; she'd speak to her mother that very night, after Taisho and the rest of the stealth masters departed.

_.xx._

Taisho and his dogs decided to don free flowing garb that the human peasants wore. It allowed them a free range of motion, and that was exactly what they needed for the mission that they were undertaking. Taisho decided to split up his dogs; as there were only seven of them. Taisho was certain that it'd be best to cover the area of the forest on their trek to the Eastern Mountains.

With the Blade of the West slung over shoulder and resting against his back, Taisho led the stealth masters into the forest before splitting them up—he decided to keep Yabai and another strong Legionnaire, Shōbō, with him. After a few last words to the group as a whole, Taisho, Yabai, and Shōbō headed northeast.

"Do you have any possible explanation as to why the Wolves attacked in Panther territory?" Shōbō inquired. He was generally one of the quieter members of the Legion, but his comments and advice were worthy and duly noted. Taisho, quite early on, established that Shōbō was a bright and intelligent demon.

"Nothing that makes sense," Taisho murmured. "The only explanation I have is that Yorozoku wanted to cause uproar…"

"Do you think it could have anything to do with you becoming leader of the Legion?"

Shōbō shook his head. "No, nobody knows about the service, Yabai," he reminded. "And even if they _did_, nobody knows about the leaders. My own _brother_ has no idea that Lord Muteki was the previous leader of the Legion."

Taisho snickered. "Your brother's head is always in the clouds though, Shōbō."

"And he has no idea when shit's going down," Yabai nudged his friend and Shōbō rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't know where he is half the time." Shōbō added, snickering with the other two. Growing up, Shōbō didn't have many friends until he signed up for the Legion of Dogs. His father worked for the Daiyoukai and was aware that the secret service was accepting applicants for Legionnaires. After discussing it with the Daiyoukai, Shōbō was taken in as an applicant. Shōbō's brother, however, didn't seem physically or mentally fit to take on the stresses of being one of the members of the Daiyoukai's secret service.

He was a quiet one, always picking herbs and trying to discover their magical properties.

"He'll be a great demon one day, and then he'll have the last laugh," Taisho said in a teasing fashion. Shōbō merely snorted in response. The three demons resumed walking in silence, their ears and nose on alert for any oncoming and approaching threats. Yabai raised his arms and put them behind his head, crossing them in the process.

"I still think you should give Kimi a try, Toga."

Taisho's eyes flickered to his best friend and then back onto their path. "We've been through this. No."

Even Shōbō had a say: "She swoons in your wake, Taisho."

"You think I don't see it?" Taisho growled. "Now, drop the damn topic."

Shōbō and Yabai exchanged glances but decided to heed what their leader had requested. It was a topic that Taisho hated talking about and the two Legionnaires would respect their friend's wish. Taisho, Shōbō, and Yabai walked a couple hundred yards further before Shōbō stopped dead in his tracks. Taisho, within a split second, hurtled towards Yabai and pushed him to the ground as a barrage of poison-tipped arrows whizzed by.

Shōbō howled loudly before unsheathing his sword. Taisho jumped up and wielded his Blade of the West. Yabai, unlike the other two, enjoyed face-to-fist combat: his fist to his opponents face.

Taisho circled his index finger in the air, signalling his warriors to split up and cover more ground of their surroundings. As Yabai went to make a move, another arrow was shot towards them and with lightning speed, Yabai caught it.

Rustling was heard and the three Legionnaires caught the distinct odorous stench of _wolf_. But as fast as they had come, the wolves were gone…

Taisho, who refused to sheath his sword, approached Yabai as Shōbō did one last scan of the territory. He darted to the left and quickly ran a short circumference around where Taisho and Yabai were standing. After being content with the fact that the danger was gone, Shōbō returned and examined the arrow with Taisho and Yabai.

"The Wolf crest is on it," Yabai commented as he held the arrow in the air. "They know we're coming. Maybe Yorozoku didn't want to cause uproar—he _intended_ on harming our dogs."

Taisho's eyes darkened. "If that's the case, this just became _very_ personal. We're going to run, boys, and we're gonna make it there before sundown. Anybody attacks, we kill. Understood?"

Yabai and Shōbō nodded and, within the blink of an eye, the three warriors were off, running faster than a tumultuous gale.

_.xx._

**Characters mentioned in this chapter:**

Kuro-Inu (high official of the Legion of Dogs)  
Koroshiya (high official of the Legion of Dogs)  
Shōbō (member of the Legion of Dogs)  
Yuna (Yabai's youngest sister)


	4. Execution of the Wolves

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Execution of the Wolves_

Just as Taisho said, he and his dogs ran without a moments rest. They kept light on their toes and managed not even to break a twig; it was the art of the stealth masters. Shōbō lunged through trees as Yabai and Taisho kept low to the ground. The arrow was clutched in Taisho's left hand—he was ready to _kill_.

Closer to the cave, the three dogs met up with another team of stealth masters, a group of four that took another route to get to the wolves cave. There was just one more group of four remaining before the stealth masters were reunited. Debriefing them on what happened, Taisho instructed them to kill with no mercy. It just wasn't a warning to Yorozoku anymore; it was war.

"Lord Taisho," Jin, one of the stealth masters, called as the dogs rested for five minutes. "Are we bringing Yorozoku back?"

Taisho's eyes darkened. "No. We kill. They unnecessarily destroyed our dogs and we do not take that lightly."

Hearing the note of finality in Taisho's voice, Jin decided to not ask any more questions. Yabai had found a round, flat rock and was sharpening his blade; he wanted the pain to rip through the wolves when he tore their guts out hand handed it right back to them, watching the look of anguish in their eyes as they felt themselves die slowly. Yabai wanted to inflict pain and hurt.

"You think the marine and aerial spies have arrived?" Shōbō inquired, sitting on a branch that loomed over the six other stealth masters. Taisho glanced up and saw an eagle soar through the sky. He focused his attention on his warrior.

"Doubt it; their methods are a lot slower than ours."

"We meet and kill," Yabai snickered, "they pussyfoot their way through."

The stealth masters chuckled, allowing the moment to relax. What the wolves did definitely took them by surprise; the dogs and wolves (their races making them distant cousins) were doing fine for the past twenty-four hundred moon cycles. There hadn't been _many_ causes for breaching war but…

But what Yorozoku crossed the line. He killed dogs without a reason and sent a team of wolves to ambush Taisho, Yabai, and Shōbō. He had the intent on harming the dogs and Taisho would not hear of it. Neither would the Daiyoukai, hence sending out the Legion of Dogs to give Yorozoku a _warning_.

Too bad Taisho did not intend to warn Yorozoku of _anything_. He was now sending a message to any future leader of the wolves: do not mess with the dogs.

"Let's get going," Taisho commanded after he felt that his dogs had rested well enough. "Shōbō and Jin take the lead, Yabai and Katana bring the rear. The rest of us will spread out and keep a safe distance in the middle."

Nodding once, the six dogs were off. Taisho hoped that he would meet up with the four other stealth masters before entering the wolf domain.

He was also hoping that his father was doing alright.

_.xx._

Because Muteki and Ounou were trained in marine spying, they had the ability to hold their breaths longer than any of the other Legionnaires. Their group consisted of five other dogs: Inazuma, Chishi, Kyōryokuna, Seiei, and Akuryu. These five dogs, along with Muteki and Ounou, had mastered the art of holding their breath and keeping under water.

Sometimes the other dogs would tease them and say that they were part fish. Muteki usually played along but Ounou tended to scoff: apparently being called half fish was insulting. Chishi, Kyōryokuna, Seiei, and Akuryu brushed off the teasing- they were some of the easygoing dogs that were part of the Legion.

Muteki glanced over his shoulder in time to see Akuryu punch a flounder-looking fish demon. Resisting the urge to burst into laughter, Muteki returned his attention to the path that he was swimming. He kept in mind landmarks he had learned throughout the many moons that he was a Legionnaire; he had picked up on certain ones on the many trips he made to the caves. Though Japan had changed throughout the moons, Miyaji River remained static.

Ounou caught up to his friend and signalled for them to rise. Nodding, Muteki shot for the surface and was followed by the rest. Immediately after breaking through the water, Ounou jerked his thumb towards the Eastern Mountains. "Smell it?"

Muteki paused and sniffed the air. He did.

"They're gathering in numbers."

Chishi cursed as he realized it too. Chishi was one of the few dog demons that had raven black hair as opposed to the stark silver. He was also a heartthrob among the bitches. Pushing his short bangs out of his face, Chishi asked what would happen if they didn't meet up with Kuro-Inu's team and Taisho's team.

Ounou simply grinned, making sure that his fangs were visible. "Come on dogs, we can take those bastards out with our eyes closed."

"Just bet that they can't outswim you underwater," Seiei snickered. "Their egos won't let them refuse and then we watch them drown."

The seven dogs chuckled before inhaling deeply and submerging once again. They had a short while to go before they had to scale a short distance to enter the territory of the wolves. Muteki was praying that the deceptors had taken out some of the wolves and that Kuro-Inu, Koroshiya, and Taisho had already arrived.

He would soon find out.

_.xx._

Indeed, as Taisho predicted, he met up with the other stealth masters and Koroshiya's dogs from the aerial team. Kuro-Inu decided to take some of their trained and domesticated Birds of Paradise to swoop down into the summit where the wolves resided. Koroshiya opted for a less air-mode method, even though he was more skilled at manoeuvring the Birds of Paradise than Kuro-Inu was.

"They're probably aware of our scent now," Koroshiya whispered as the group of sixteen gathered close enough to the wolves' territory, but not too close.

Taisho snorted. "_Keh_, they were well aware of our scents a few hours back. My team was attacked but none of us were hurt."

Koroshiya scowled, his eyes darkening. "I will rip Yorozoku limb from limb."

Yabai rolled his eyes. "Why don't we rip his son limb from limb? Taking care of the old wolf will get us nowhere unless we destroy his heir."

"I like it," Shōbō piped. "Leave the old man but take out his son."

"Do you know _nothing_ of monarchy?" Taisho growled. "If we don't put the old wolf six feet under, he'll christen somebody _else_ to take his place if we out his pup."

Yabai shot a look to Taisho that clearly said: _Do __**not**__ let them know how much of the monarch system you're really aware of. _

"Let's just wipe them all out of existence," Katana scowled. "I've had enough of their shit. If it isn't ambushing our fucking territory, it's executing our _innocent_ dogs. Do you remember when Shoujiki killed that bitch in the north? Because she wouldn't _rut_ with him!"

The story Katana repeated was true and still burned the blood of any loyal dog. Shoujiki, the son of Yorozoku and next in line to be the leader of the wolf pack had decapitated a female dog demon because she wouldn't lay with him. It was unclear whether he did it because of the rivalry between the races or because he just was a horny canine. What _was_ clear was that the useless death of their kind, _especially_ their _bitches_ was not something any dog took lightly.

"Let's just charge in there," Jin whined. "I'm getting impatient. I hope the deceptors didn't kill too many wolves, I want to kill some myself."

"Didn't we agree upon a signal?" Shōbō raised an eyebrow as he chose to ignore the latter portion of Jin's statement.

Taisho snorted. "Of _course_ we did, only the Leaders know what the signal is."

"Too bad nobody is _giving_ the signal." Koroshiya snorted.

"Maybe they're expecting us to—" Whatever Jin was going to say was cut off when they heard a howl in the distance. It was Kuro-Inu's howl and it only meant one thing:

Game.

On.

_.xx._

Taisho sprinted into the summit first, and Yabai launched right in after him, landing on his feet and recovering as quick as a cat. Muteki and Ounou's team was already there, dripping wet, but engaged in combat. Fists flew, swords clanked, blood spilt. The war had already begun.

Before Taisho could take another _step_ forward, he was ambushed by four wolves. Immediately, Yabai and Susamajii-Inu -who had been travelling with Kuro-Inu's team- came to his aid. Unsheathing his Sword of the West, Taisho beheaded one of the wolves that attacked him and ran straight for Shoujiki, who was in fist-to-fist combat with his father.

Snarling, Taisho lunged forward but Shoujiki jumped out of the way just in the nick of time.

"Toga!" Muteki called but was immediately punched across the face by a wolf with a cocky expression.

"Kaze!" Shoujiki blared. "Distract the old dog."

"Who are you calling old?!" Muteki growled but was once again hit by Kaze. Snarling, Muteki reared his left hand and let out a barrage of crescent blades that was borne from his claws.

"Senkon tessou!"

Taisho took Shoujiki's lapse in attention to his advantage and drove his sword through his gut. Shoujiki gasped in sudden pain before using his hands to pull the sword out of him. "Playing unfair, are we?" He wheezed out. His blazing red hair set him apart from the other wolves, but the dog race quickly learned that the Daiyoukai Wolf family all had fiery red hair.

"Playing unfair?" Taisho's eyes flashed with anger. "_Unfair_ is when your fucking father kills _my_ dogs with _no _reason."

Shoujiki, despite bleeding with a gash in his stomach, smirked. "Unfair? I don't think so, Taisho." He feinted left before charging at Taisho from the right. Anticipating it, Taisho lunged out of the way but never turned his back to his opponent.

"They were _fraternizing_ with some of our she-wolves." Shoujiki hissed. "Kaze and his brothers, Kasai and Kaminari, felt the need to _teach them a lesson_."

Taisho's anger quadrupled. "Teach them—_are you out of your damn mind_, you mangy wolf?!"

"No, _your_ dogs are out of _their_ damn mind if they think they can rut with _our_ women."

"And when you beheaded that bitch?!" Taisho snarled. "Your sanity was fully in fucking tact then?"

Taisho's ochre eyes were beginning to bleed red. He was ready to _annihilate_ Shoujiki, even if it meant going into beast mode. Muteki, who managed to knock Kaze ten feet backwards, whipped his head to Taisho's direction. He smelt the release of his son's inner beast and knew that a great dog was going to grace them with his presence.

The demon was being unleashed.

Within _seconds_, Taisho transformed into a great white dog and, shortly thereafter, so did Ounou, Muteki, Yabai and Koroshiya. The other dog demons remained in their humanoid forms to take down any wolves that decided to attack the beasts. Shoujiki stumbled backwards as Muteki swooped down and devoured Kaze in a heartbeat.

"_KAZE_!" Somebody roared and Taisho's eyes locked with a wolf running towards them.

"YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled. His scent was familiar to the wolf that his father had taken out. Brothers, perhaps? Before the wolf could take a step _closer_, Yabai jumped on him, crushing him beneath his weight.

"KASAI!" Shoujiki shrieked. He snapped his head back to Taisho, seething with rage. As the humanoid dogs continued to take down the wolves, the beasts were closing in on Shoujiki.

"Where is Yorozoku?" Muteki barked out in the language of the canines. Shoujiki understood him perfectly.

"I said," Muteki repeated when he was met with silence, "_where is Yorozoku_?!"

"Right here."

All eyes turned to the elder wolf that entered the summit. Yabai and Koroshiya turned their attention to the leader of the wolves as Muteki, Ounou and Taisho kept their attention trained on Shoujiki.

"I think it is enough," Yorozoku stated loudly. "You have proven your point and avenged your men. We are surrendering and allowing victory to you."

"FATHER!" Shoujiki roared.

"Enough," Yorozoku sounded eminent. "You must learn to surrender when it is appropriate. We lost more wolves than their dogs in this battle, Shoujiki, and you've lost your two friends: Kasai and Kaze." Yorozoku looked at Muteki and Yabai, the two beasts that had killed wolves that he considered son.

"Kasai's mate, Saikō, had given birth to Kouga just yesterday," Yorozoku whispered. "And Kaze's mate is in the last stages of her pregnancy. You must think of the pack. If all of the men die, than what is there left?"

Sensing that the danger was no longer prominent, the beasts turned back into their humanoid selves. Taisho maintained a hold on his sword but the other dogs were weaponless. Eventually the fighting and killing came to a halt and all attention was on Yorozoku.

"We surrender," Yorozoku murmured, "as I said, you avenged your dogs and we are humbling ourselves. Please, do not intigate any more killings."

Taisho snarled and pointed at Yorozoku using the tip of his sword. "And how do we know you're not bullshitting us, old wolf?"

Yorozoku sighed, looking sombre. "How am I to prove to you that my words are nothing but honest?"

"For the next _one thousand _moons," Muteki spoke before Taisho could begin. "You will be under the command and control of the dogs. That will be your punishment for unnecessarily attacking our dogs."

Yorozoku looked like he was slapped.

"It is either _that_," Ounou hissed, "or I'll bite your head off as my beast."

Shoujiki looked between his father and the dogs before deciding to interfere. "You cannot honestly agree to this, father!"

"I… must," Yorozoku looked shamed. "They are in greater numbers than us. They have power."

"So do we!"

"Learn to think about your pack, son, not honour." Yorozoku bowed his head to Muteki. "We agree to your terms. One thousand moons, no longer, no less."

Muteki nodded. "We will send ambassadors by sunrise tomorrow to sign a blood binding contract. Should you back out by then, we _will_ be back."

Before Yorozoku could finish nodding, the dogs raced out of the summit.

_.xx._

Kimi sat beside her mother in their private study, discussing what could be done regarding Taisho. Kimi's mother was surprised that the new leader was able to resist the charms of her beautiful and highly educated daughter.

"He just won't give me the time of day!" Kimi sighed. "Can you not get father to speak to him?"

Kirei, Kimi's mother, shook her head in dismay. "Taisho's father and your father are best friends, Kimi. I cannot ask him to speak to Taisho on your behalf."

"Then get him to speak to Muteki!" Kimi exclaimed. "I need to know why he does not consider taking me as his mate."

Kirei sighed, staring at her daughter for a _long_ time. "Sweetheart, when a dog finds his life mate, he just _knows_. If you do not possess the qualities that awaken his inner rut then there is nothing Taisho can do about it."

"But you and father were arranged to be mated," Kimi wailed. "You cannot tell me that Taisho is listening to his instincts and that's why he is not choosing me when father was _picked_ to be your mate."

Kirei smiled and reached over to cover her daughter's hand with her own. "Yes, Ounou and I were arranged to be mated, but I possessed the qualities that his beast desired."

Kimi looked confused and Kirei took the opportunity to explain.

"There is not just _one_ demon or human out there that is intended to be your mate. There are a few, and the one you _pick_ to be yours is who your soul mate becomes. Yes, there were other female dogs that your father _could_ have been with, but it worked out to our advantage that we were arranged to be mated and I also had the essence that his beast wanted to take." Kirei watched the expression change on her daughter's face.

"So you're saying there is no one person out there intended for me?"

Kirei nodded. "Precisely. There may be four or five, but the one that picks you is your true soul mate."

Kimi's face fell. "I just wish Taisho wanted me."

Getting off of her seat, Kirei moved to give her daughter a hug. "Be patient, my child. Your day will come."

Sighing, Kimi said nothing as she returned her mother's embrace. _If Taisho doesn't sense qualities in me that should awaken his inner beast, perhaps I should __inspire__ it __to want me__._

_.xx._

The dogs returned late into the night and immediately dispersed to return to their homes. Muteki told Taisho that he'd see him back home after the new leader reported to the Daiyoukai. Slouched and tired, Taisho knocked on the Daiyoukai's door and waited for a response. He could smell that their leader was awake so he was not too worried about being yelled at for being bothersome.

"Taisho!" The Daiyoukai beamed as he opened the door. "Good news?"

Quickly, Taisho debriefed the Daiyoukai on what happened and informed that an ambassador needed to head to the East the following day to sign the blood contract. The Daiyoukai was pleased and commended Taisho on a job well done. Taking his leave, Taisho slowly began to trudge to his home not too far from the castle.

He was exhausted.

Deciding to cut through the courtyard, Taisho did not notice Kimi sneaking up behind him.

"Gotchya," She giggled as she hugged him from behind. Taisho wanted to groan.

"I am not in the mood right now," he grunted, "I want to go home. I want to sleep."

Kimi frowned and loosened her grip on him, just enough to turn him around to face her. He did look like death, but was still handsome nonetheless.

"Shall I ease your troubles?"

"No."

Curt, like how she expected. Inhaling deeply, Kimi decided to do what she planned right then and there. No hesitating, no thinking about it.

Taisho raised an eyebrow at her. "So that's it? Can I go—" He was cut off.

She kissed him.

_.xx._

**Characters mentioned in this chapter:**

Kaminari (Hakkau's father, eldest Wolf brother)  
Kasai (Kouga's father, second Wolf brother)  
Kaze (Ginta's father, youngest Wolf brother)  
Shoujiki (Ayame's father, next-in-law Pack Leader)  
Saikō (Kouga's mother)

Kirei (Kimi's mother)

Jin (Legionnaire)  
Katana (Legionnaire)  
Inazuma (Legionnaire)  
Chishi (Legionnaire)  
Kyōryokuna (Legionnaire)  
Seiei (Legionnaire)  
Akuryu (Legionnaire)

**Like I said at the beginning of this series, there will be a lot of original characters in the first part of the story. They will recur, though, in Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's parts. Most of them, at least.**

**And because there is no such thing has the Gregorian Calendar during when this story takes place, the demons measure time by moon cycles. A new moon to a new moon is one full moon cycle. Typically a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. To get an understanding of what I did, take the moon cycle I state (ie. ten thousand moons) and divide it by 12 (12 months in a year). You'll get the approximate number of years that I was referring to.  
**


	5. Once-In-A-Lifetime Kind of Love

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Once-In-A-Lifetime Kind of Love_

Taisho's eyes were wide as he felt Kimi's warm lips press against his. Her hands were resting lightly against his chest, and he could feel her tremble ever so slightly, but her lips remained planted on his. Taisho's mind was reeling and his eyes darted left, then right, to check if anybody was in the vicinity. Then, without any remorse, he yanked away from Kimi with a dangerous expression on his face.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Kimi looked blatantly shocked. "I was… well… I wanted to welcome you bac—"

Taisho cut her off. "That isn't welcoming me back. Only my _futon_ can welcome me back right now. I want _sleep__; _I don't want to deal with your insolence."

"Why don't you _want_ me?" Kimi snarled. "You act like you're better than everybody else when in fact you _aren't_. We grew up together, our fathers are best friend, and I am _clearly_ of higher stature than _you__._ To any dog I'd be the perfect catch!"

"But not for me." Without looking back, Taisho briskly strode past Kimi. Her mouth was agape as she watched his retreating figure. She fisted her left hand and narrowed her eyes, glowering at his back.

"Fine," she hissed, "fine. You don't want me. That's fine, that's great. Well, Taisho, I DON'T WANT YOU EITHER!"

She knew he heard her—he had the most sensitive hearing of all the dogs. Spinning on her heel, Kimi stomped to her room. Who gave a damn about Taisho? What was so good about him _anyway_? Nothing. Yabai was just as good looking but half the jerk Taisho was. _Mother was right,_ Kimi thought dejectedly. _One day I'll find the right dog. Taisho just isn't it._

_.xx._

Susamajii-Inu, Yabai, Chishi, Katana, and Taisho were in their Legion canteen devouring a wild boar demon that Jin had hunted earlier in the morning. Taisho filled his situation in with his fellow Legionnaires and, just as he expected, they chided him on not wanting to be with such a beautiful and intelligent demoness.

Plus she was also the Daiyoukai's niece. Yabai had given Taisho the expectant _well-you-want-to-be-Daiyoukai_ look. Susamajii-Inu and Yabai knew without Taisho voicing it that the leader of the Legion wanted to _be_ the Daiyoukai and not just the _mate _to the future Daiyoukai.

Pride issues.

But his two best friends still had _no_ clue as to why Taisho was so adamant in becoming Daiyoukai. What was so damn great about ruling a nation? All the Daiyoukai ever worried about was imminent destruction and warfare. Maybe one day they'll figure it out. That day was definitely _not_ the day.

"The Festival of Fire is in two days," Yabai said with a mouth full of boar. Taisho was sipping a tankard filled with wine—unlike the other demons, Taisho had an alcohol tolerance that seemed implausible. "The stealth masters and marine spies are to attend, but I think the aerial spies have training."

"When do the marine spies train?" Susamjii-Inu inquired.

Chishi looked up from his boar thigh and wiped the juices from his chin. "We train seven nights after the aerial spies have returned. The deceptors leave for training the same time we do, apparently."

"And the stealth masters?" Katana asked.

"Five nights after the marine spies are back." Taisho informed. "It's rigorous, from what I heard. This kind of training only happens once every hundred years—the _last_ time they had training, a whole bunch of us were battling Ryuukotsusei."

"I hate that son of a fuck." Yabai snarled.

Taisho snorted. "Who doesn't? You'd think the bastard would give it up—he never _wins__._"

"Neither do we."

"Pessimism gets you nowhere, 'Majii," Yabai shoved his best friend. "We'll destroy that giant overgrown cockroach."

Katana sipped his wine. "I doubt it. If anything it's gonna be…" Katana tapped his chin before smirking broadly—a trait (other than ochre eyes and silver hair) that was signature of the dog demons—"It's probably gonna end up being Toga's son that kills the fucking cockroach. _Youngest_ son, too!"

Taisho coughed. "You're joking, right?"

Yabai grinned. "Oh yeah, your youngest son who's trying to save the woman he loves. So he ends up beating Ryuukotsusei without even knowing _how_ he did it or _where_ his powers came from."

"If you two don't shut up _right_ now, I'll personally introduce you to your _backsides_."

Susamajii-Inu laughed. "And his love interest is going to be a powerful human miko. _Ohhh_, Taisho, you're gonna have a bitch-in-law that's going to try to exorcise your demon."

"Unless she's _exercising_ his _son's_ demon." Yabai smirked.

"Can we _please_ stop talking about my non-existent-pup and his non-existent-bitch and their non-fucking-existent-sex-life?"

Chishi leaned forward and murmured: "He's just jealous his unborn pup has a better sex life than he does."

Taisho stood up, throwing his tankard of wine down and stomped off. Behind him he heard his friends howling and barking in laughter—he could faintly hear Katana say: "He needs to rut as soon as possible. You know it's pathetic when your imaginary pup has a better sex life than you do."

"I SWEAR ON THE DAIYOUKAI!" Taisho boomed and his friends howled even louder.

_Assholes. _

_.xx._

Taisho was taking a solitary walk through the courtyard. _Feh,_ he thought. _Damn the dogs and giving my son a better sex life than my own. Just for shits and giggles, let's make my youngest son a half demon who travels the continent with a monk and a demon slayer—along with his miko mate. You know what? Let's have them search for a fucking jewel with his dead girlfriend stalking them. Yeah, great life you got there now, son._

Taisho rubbed his face as he leaned against a giant stone column. _I'm losing my mind._ Exhaling loudly, Taisho looked up at the sky. "Joking about a dog's lack of rutting is _not_ funny." He muttered. _Hits the ego._

It wasn't his fault that he was constantly training to become the greatest Legionnaire that Dogs had to offer.

And neither was it his fault that he was a hopeless romantic that was waiting for the right woman to mate with.

So what? Taisho had never had sex in his life.

It was something to be proud of.

_Stop kidding yourself._ Taisho snorted. _If the dogs _knew_… you'd be the laughing stock for the next ten _centuries_._

Pushing himself off of the stone column, Taisho continued his walk through the courtyard. He recalled the last love interest he had—it was about six thousand moon cycles ago and, if he remembered correctly, Kimi scared the bitch off. Taisho hadn't heard from her in thirty-six hundred moon cycles when, one day, he found out her village had been burned down and she died, along with her mother, father, and three younger brothers.

"Toga!"

Taisho whirled around to see Yabai running after him. Stopping in midstride, Taisho waited for his friend to catch up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Taisho answered curtly. "Why shouldn't I be?"

"You seemed genuinely upset."

"I'm not."

"You're giving me two word answers, you _definitely_ are upset."

Taisho glared at his friend. "The conversation was slightly out of hand, that's what happened."

"Come on, you know we were joking."

"Right. Joking. Gotchya."

Yabai furrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry, Toga." Yabai sucker punched Taisho. "We won't bring up your pup and bitch-in-law anymore, happy?"

Despite the situation, Taisho _had_ to smirk. "Fine, their love life remains behind _their_ closed doors; I don't _want_ to know what goes on behind them."

Yabai laughed. "Right, totally understood. You know what, to balance the story let's say your elder son _has_ no sex life."

"That's fair," Taisho mumbled dryly. "Let's make one son a nymphomaniac and the other one totally opposed to fornicating. My offspring will be the most fucked up offspring of _any_ dog. Ever."

"I cannot agree with you more."

The two friends were silent for a few moments before Yabai spoke. "Did you hear that Daiyoukai is going to announce Kimi's betrothal at the Fire Festival?"

Taisho's eyebrows shot up. "Betrothal? Really now?"

Yabai nodded. "My thoughts exactly. And didn't she kiss you just last night?"

"She did."

"Doesn't it seem… strange?"

Taisho shrugged. Kimi could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Like Taisho said over and over again to her—she was his friend, _childhood_ friends to be exact, but he was in no way interested in her romantically. If she decided to move on and accept it, than Taisho would be glad for her.

"Not really. I just hope the dog isn't an asshole."

Yabai crossed his arms. "Actually I heard from the loop that her intended mate is a lynx demon."

Taisho's eyebrows shot up. "Lynx? Aren't they extinct? I heard the last of them were wiped out during the War of Revenge…"

The War of Revenge—it was mythological battle, at best. Nobody believed it happened, but everybody _knew_ it did. The Lynx Demon tribes were trying to enact revenge against the Wolf Demons for taking over their territory and raping their females. During the fight, however, the Wolf Demons killed _all_ of the Lynx Demons, leaving not even one _child_ alive.

They were wiped out.

"_Allegedly_ extinct. Maybe the Wolves never really killed _all_ of them."

Again, Taisho shrugged. "Well, good for her."

"Aren't you the _least_ bit upset?"

"No."

"And your plan on becoming Daiyoukai?"

"Hasn't even begun yet."

"No plans of committing high treason?"

Taisho laughed. "No. I might be hell bent on running the Western Continent but I will be doing it in the most legal way possible."

"I swear on mother Earth I have never met a more honest Dog than you, Toga."

"Don't call me Toga."

"Yes, Toga."

Taisho punched his friend across the jaw but all Yabai could do was double over in laughter. Taisho was like a brother he never had—he loved that dog more than anything.

_.xx._

The sun was setting far past the horizon and Taisho watched the molten ball of lava begin to dip. It was early into the night and some of the dogs were retiring, wanting to spend quality time with their mates. Yabai and Susamajii-Inu decided to overdose themselves on sake and wine and were joined by Ounou and Muteki—though the latter two were older than _old_, they acted younger than the youngest legionnaires.

Taisho didn't want part of the charade so he decided to set himself up on a branch and admire the beauty of the night sky.

Watch the twinkling stars.

Get lost in the world that was his mind.

Closing his eyes, Taisho etched a picture of a woman in his mind—the kind of woman he wanted to fall in love with: long, raven black hair… silky, almost, like a soft kimono, soft brown eyes that shone with admiration and love when she looked at him.

A melodious voice.

Soft fingers…

Milky complexion.

Taisho envisioned this woman to be surrounded by cherry blossom trees, in front of a setting sun. Her silhouette would enhance her beauty even more.

Inhaling deeply, he opened his eyes. Would he ever find a woman like that? Like the kind of woman that occupied his imagination and haunted his dreams? He glanced towards the castle, particularly to the tower that belonged to Kimi. He knew that the Daiyoukai's niece harboured strong feelings for him; he smelt the desire almost all of the time.

But he didn't love her.

Didn't want her.

And it wasn't in his nature to keep letting her down softly. Eventually Taisho just had to tell her how it is: he did not want to be with her.

His father, Muteki, always told him that he knew that his mother, Tsukika, was the one when he saw her. She was at a shop in the village looking for amulets when he crossed her path and told her that he had never met a demoness like her before. She was graceful and kind hearted—she was the epitome of everything Muteki wanted.

Everything he ever dreamed about.

Taisho wanted a love like his parents. He never met his mother, but he could feel the love she had for his father _and_ him resonate from his father, through the things he did, the stuff he said. Taisho, sometimes, could feel a bittersweet familiar aura around him. Normally it was at night, when rain would beat against the earth and the loud drumbeats of thunder echoed through the skies.

On nights that reflected the night that he was born.

Those nights he would feel his mother.

Closing his eyes once more, Taisho inhaled deeply again. Somewhere in the distance was a cherry blossom orchard and the smell of the petals assaulted his nose.

And the picture of the woman with brown eyes and long raven black hair entered his mind again.

_Will I ever find you?_

_.xx._

**No characters were introduced in this chapter.**


	6. Festival of Fire I

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Festival of Fire I_

"Hurt me!" Taisho roared. He and Yabai were sparring in the courtyard and had attracted quite a group of watchers. Susamajii-Inu was biting into a succulent chicken leg as he watched his two best friends attack each other. Katana and Chiisu were sitting on a ledge and other dogs of the legion stood, scattered throughout the courtyard. Muteki and Ounou were watching from overtop, at the balcony just outside of the Daiyoukai's chambers.

"I bet you a roasted yak that Toga wins," Ounou murmured quietly. Muteki could only grin stupidly.

"Who will give us this yak when _we_ win?" Muteki asked. "I remember Toga using Yabai as a punching bag while they were growing up."

Ounou laughed, remembering nights where Toga would chase Yabai down to repeatedly punch him. Admittedly out of all the dogs, those two were the closest. They were like brothers—as Taisho was an only pup and Yabai only had sisters.

"Gahh!" Yabai lunged towards Taisho who, expertly, dodged. Tauntingly, Taisho danced around his best friend who began to see red, like a bull. "Stop fucking with me, Taisho!"

"Stop sucking so bad, Yabai," Taisho said, mockingly. The dogs laughed loudly, which only set Yabai off even more. Grunting as loud as he could, Yabai shot towards his best friend once more. He was intent on landing at least a _punch_ on Taisho. They had been sparring all morning and Yabai _still_ hadn't been able to physically attack Taisho yet.

No _wonder_ he was promoted to being the Leader of the Dogs.

"So," Muteki murmured as he leaned over the guardrail. "What made you and Kirei decide to betroth Kimi to Akio?"

Akio, the supposed sole survivor of the Lynx Tribe.

Ounou shrugged. It was just a few nights ago that Kimi approached him and Kirei vocalizing that she was ready to wed and that her parents could start to find a potential suitor. The Daiyoukai _immediately_ spread word and within a heartbeat, news returned that Akio, the heir to the Lynx throne wanted to meet with Kimi to see if they would be suitable for each other. According to the Daiyoukai, a union between them and the Lynx would put them at an advantage over the Wolf Tribe.

Their mutual hatred for the Wolves would make Kimi and Akio's union very prosperous.

"Rejection, maybe?" Ounou looked over at his best friend. "She kissed Taisho the night we returned from the mountains. Did you know that?"

Muteki nodded. "I did. Not from Toga, though. I heard the Legion talking about it the next day _after_ Toga told them what happened. Did Kimi tell Kirei?"

Ounou shook his head. "We found out the same way _you_ did. Kimi had already decided by then that she was ready to find a mate so we decided not to approach her on that."

"Gutsy, that one."

Ounou nodded. "She is. I guess she was hoping Toga was in denial?"

"Toga is a character all on his own," Muteki sighed. "He has this whole _idea_ that he's going to mate for love and live a long and happy life. I want to say he's too old to fantasize about such an ideal life, but he's too young to really give a shit." Muteki looked over at his friend. "He hears all these stories of how Tsukika and I used to be and he wants a love like ours."

"_Everyone_ wants a love like yours, Muteki." Ounou muttered. "None of the dogs have been as lucky as _you_ to find their mate while walking through a village."

Muteki smiled. Memories of Tsukika flooded through his mind and his heart ached—oh how he missed his mate. Biologically, he would've died if Taisho hadn't been born but because his mate lived on in their son, Muteki knew that his life had another meaning altogether. He loved and cared for his son _very_ deeply—he knew that Taisho always wondered what it was like to have a mother. It was only natural.

But Muteki provided everything he possibly could for his pup so that Taisho would never feel like he lacked anything from his life. No doubt, his son was something to be proud of.

"WILL YOU FUCKING SLOW _DOWN_!" Yabai screeched and that caused the dogs to roar in laughter once again. Ounou and Muteki glanced at the courtyard before looking back at each other.

"Him and Kimi would've made a wonderful couple," Ounou said softly.

"He would've never been happy." Muteki said simply. "You know my pup. You helped _raise_ him. Once he's determined to accomplish something, he _will_." Muteki, more to himself, was referring to Taisho's desire to become the Daiyoukai. That was a goal that nobody but Muteki knew about and, on several occasions, he tried to talk his son out of it. But, as he just said, Taisho didn't listen to _anybody_ or any_thing_ once his mind was made up.

Just like it was made up in regards to Kimi…

Just like how it was made up in regards to his desire to become Daiyoukai.

"What type of bitch does he want?" Ounou inquired and Muteki shrugged.

"Help me if I knew. He won't tell me anything except _No, father, I will not mate._" Muteki did his best to mimic his son. "I guess when the time is right for him, he will take that step. For now, we must rejoice Kimi and Akio's union."

Ounou nodded solemnly. "Rejoice what? My daughter's broken heart?"

"Rejoice that your daughter wouldn't have lived thousands of years with a dog that didn't love her," Muteki pushed off of the guardrail. "She loves him now, as a young puppy. But when she becomes a full grown bitch, she will understand the heartache Taisho would've caused her."

Ounou sighed dejectedly. "I know. It pains me to see her hurt."

"I can imagine." Muteki murmured. "I want to apologize on Taisho's behalf but I don't know what I'd be apologizing for. For him not being in love with her?"

"Yeah," Ounou murmured. "You make a good point. Anyway, can we drown our misery out with some alcohol?"

"You're a fucking addict," Muteki laughed as he pat his friend's back. Together they started towards the canteen to do what they intended to: drown their misery with some sake and wine. Oh, the wondrous creation of man and demon…

_.xx._

The aerial spies left for their training promptly that afternoon and that left the other legionnaires to lounge until the Festival of Fire began later that evening. It was a three-day ceremony that started with a bonfire and ended with the Lighting of the Strings event. Every ten moon cycles or so the demons gathered to celebrate the earth and the life and power given to the demons. They partied for three nights and ended with an event that included lighting several strings on fire that all, eventually, twined together and connected with a large ball made of paper that represented the glowing lava orb.

That represented life itself.

"You talk to Kimi yet?" Yabai asked as he had Taisho headed to their Weapons Chamber to return their swords. They were training a little while ago, after seeing the aerial spies off (Susamajii-Inu didn't want to go to training; he wanted to stay and party with the others), and were now getting ready to attend the festivities.

"No. Should I?"

Yabai shrugged. "Perhaps you should approach her and ask if she really wants to mate with this Lynx. What was his name? Aku?"

"Akio."

Yabai nudged Taisho. "You were quick to answer that."

Taisho's eyes flickered to Yabai and his jaw tightened. "Kimi is my good friend, Yabai. I'm worried for her well-being. A member of a supposed extinct race has offered his hand in marriage to the heiress to _our_ throne. Why does that seem so strange?"

"You make a valid point."

"I always make valid points," Taisho snorted as he shoved the iron door open that led them to their Weapons Chamber. "I'm worried about what _could_ happen. Perhaps this is a ploy by a _not_-very-extinct-but-have-been-lurking-on-the-down-low Lynx Tribe to _somehow_ get to the wolves."

"Through the Wolf Tribe's enemy?"

"Dogs are distant relatives to the wolves, Yabai," Taisho placed his sword onto the rack. "To the Lynx, we're all the same."

Yabai's throat rumbled with a growl. He _hated_ such trivialities; _fuck_, he hated being called an _anything_-relative to the Wolf Demon Tribe. To be assumed _related_ to such flea-bags pissed the hell right out of him. "Fine. Shady business. Agreed. Can we wring that motherfucker upside down?"

Taisho chuckled. "Always so quick to jump to conclusions. How about we monitor this supposed _suitor_ and see if he's up to any funny business."

"Maybe we should get Kimi in on this!"

"Again, quick to jump." Taisho felt like he was talking to a young child. "Kimi already wants to chop my dick off for pushing her off of me. How the hell would it look if either myself _or_ my best dog goes up to her to say 'Hey, Princess Kimi! Listen, you know the Lynx you're about to mate with? Yeah, we think he's going to double-cross you. Want to spy on him for us?'"

Yabai burst into laughter. He loved with Taisho mimicked _anybody_—especially himself. He was such a comedian when he wasn't around the general public. "Alright, again, good call. Jeez, now I can see why Daiyoukai picked you to be the leader."

"Having common sense is _not_ the reason I was promoted." Taisho nudged his friend. "Though _having_ it helped."

"What the fuck is common sense?" Yabai grinned playfully. "The only sense I have is _un_common."

"You **have** no sense."

Yabai was about to retort with something that he _believed_ was going to be witty but both he and Taisho stopped talking when they saw Kimi and a stoic character pass by. Kimi and Taisho's eyes met for a brief moment before she looked away and focused back on what her destination was. Yabai raised an eyebrow and turned to look at his friend.

"Uhhh… Aku?"

"Akio." Taisho corrected without thinking. "That had to be Akio."

"He's a very interesting looking specimen."

Taisho nodded, agreeing with Yabai. Akio looked so _unfeeling_—his eyes were trained on the pathway in front of him and, unlike Kimi who had glanced at him and Yabai, Akio did not even flicker his eyes. He walked as if he had a massive stick glued to his back and was unable to bend his spine in any way.

"Alright. Very strange." Yabai muttered. "I wish Susamajii-Inu were here."

"Why? To make you feel dumber?" Taisho snickered, shoving Yabai. The latter demon glowered at his best friend before rubbing his stubble—he knew it turned the bitches on. They loved facial hair.

"No, because he's trained in _other_ methods that we aren't familiar with. We're the stealth masters, perhaps the aerials have other means of focusing on the enemies." Yabai glanced at Taisho. "Know what I mean?"

"I guess common sense has become you." Taisho murmured. "But he isn't here, and when he comes back, the lynx will be gone."

"Taisho! Yabai!"

The dogs turned around to see Shōbō sprinting towards them. Taisho crossed his arms and Yabai put his hands behind his head, resting the back of his head on the palms of his hands. Shōbō came to a halt in front of them and inhaled deeply. "Yorozoku sent a messenger to meet with the Daiyoukai; apparently the wolves want to take part in the Festival of Fire."

Yabai and Taisho exchanged looks and turned back to Shōbō. "What did the Daiyoukai say?" Taisho asked.

"He's allowing it. On the condition that we're armed in case they start any funny business."

Yabai groaned. "_Fuck_! We just put our weapons away, too."

Taisho shook his head, not knowing what to say to his friend. He turned back to Shōbō. "And why, pray tell, did he decide to do this?"

Shōbō shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe it had to do with the blood contract?"

"And father?"

"Muteki doesn't know, I believe. Daiyoukai is sending word personally to all members of the Legion. He wants us stealth masters to be prepared the most, since the marine fighters aren't as well trained on land as we are." Shōbō sighed. "And I wanted to drink my life away tonight."

Yabai frowned. "Will they be here for all three nights?"

"Not sure." Shōbō murmured. "I was told by Kiiyoki to send news to the stealth masters as he personally approached the marine fighters. If the Daiyoukai says it's okay then there isn't much we can do, is there?"

Taisho nodded, answering Shōbō's question. "There isn't. I guess we have to party with the wolves."

Yabai snorted and kicked the wall. "I bet you that's what the lynx bastard wants, too."

Shōbō raised an eyebrow and Taisho shook his head. "I'll explain later. Come, dogs, we must get our attire ready for the opening bonfire. Who lights it?"

Shōbō and Yabai glanced at each other before grinning stupidly. Yabai wrapped an arm around Taisho's shoulders and Shōbō pretended to examine his fingernails. Taisho knew _immediately_ that they knew something he didn't and shrugged Yabai off.

"Who. Lights. It." He enunciated.

"Hey Shōbō," Yabai called as he looked around Taisho to his companion and fellow legionnaire. "Who's the new leader, again?"

Taisho's colour drained. "Wait—_I_ have to light the damn thing?! _Why_?!"

The expression on his face was priceless.

The tone of his voice was hilarious.

Shōbō and Yabai couldn't hold it in any longer: they both burst into laughter.

_.xx._

**Characters mentioned in this chapter:**

Akio (Lynx heir-apparent, betrothed to Kimi)

**Honestly, who is enjoying this story so far? I know that because it isn't really talking about a fixed couple that it may be not attracting as much attention as an InuKag fic might but… out of sheer curiosity?**

**Next few chapters will be about the Festival of Fire :)**


	7. Festival of Fire II

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Festival of Fire II_

Taisho didn't want to light the bonfire. There wasn't any reason in particular; he just hated being the center of attention. Taisho grew up with his father in solitude; no siblings, no mother. Sure, he had his Legionnaires by his side on a day-to-day basis but Taisho preferred to lurk in the shadows and watch everything unfold before him.

It was his character.

The stealth masters were wrapped in their pelt and had their weapons sheathed against them. None of them were given an answer as to why the wolves were allowed to join the festivities, which ultimately angered them even further. Muteki was outraged but Ounou said that the Daiyoukai must have a reason that was strategic enough to grant the wolves entrance into dog territory without the worry of an uprising.

Yabai was standing in the lookout tower situated at the northernmost area of the castle with Shōbō. They were pelted and armed, ready to battle. The wolves arrived not too long ago and, so far, it was relatively peaceful. Kaminari, the eldest of the three wolf brothers that raped and killed one of the dogs' bitches (which resulted in the war escalating between the packs) was the first to arrive. He seemed sombre; his two brothers were killed very recently and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but _there_. Saikō, the mate of the late Kasai, and her newborn pup, Kouga, arrived with Kaminari.

Yabai had nudged Shōbō. "Think they're here with an ulterior motive?"

Shōbō snorted. "Really? They're going to walk into the mouth of the lion to cut off its tongue?"

"That is the most fucked up analogy I've _ever_ heard."

Shōbō rolled his eyes and continued to scan the castle surroundings. Shōbō and Yabai were two of the most elite stealth masters that the Legion had to offer. Apart from their revered leader, Taisho, Shōbō and Yabai were approached on numerous occasions to seek advice and receive counselling.

"Maybe Yorozoku has something brewing in his mind?" Shōbō offered. "Although _why_ he would do that after signing a blood contract is beyond me."

"Perhaps Yorozoku doesn't _have_ any ulterior motives." Yabai raised an eyebrow. "Maybe this is all with good intention as he's bound to us for how many moons? A fucking lifetime in essence."

"One thousand."

"I repeat," Yabai murmured, "a fucking lifetime."

Shōbō chuckled; he quite enjoyed spending time with his fellow Legionnaires. Particularly with Yabai, Susamajii-Inu, Taisho, Jin, Chishi, and Inazuma. Sure he _liked_ the others, but the aforementioned dogs held a special place in his heart. They were jokers, but Shōbō knew that when it came time for business he could count on them to be at his back.

"Is Toga lighting the bonfire yet?" Yabai inquired and Shōbō shook his head.

"No. We'd be informed if he was; remember, _we_ have to be present."

Yabai snorted loudly and cracked his neck in two places. "Because us getting down from our post is going to help keep an eye on the wolves." His tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Great battle strategy, Daiyoukai-sama." He let the sarcasm drip from his voice. Shōbō grinned goofily.

"I'm sure Daiyoukai could use some pointers. How about I volunteer your name?"

"I'll volunteer your fucking balls, wolf-penis." Yabai muttered under his breath and Shōbō threw his head back in laughter. If he had to pick a favourite, Yabai was it. There was no censor when it came to the stealth master; he spoke the first thought that came to his mind and if it weren't for Taisho, Yabai would've probably been executed for blatant stupidity.

"Look!" Shōbō hissed as he spotted something of interest. "It's Kimi and Aku!"

"Akio," Yabai felt like Taisho as he corrected the name of the Lynx survivor. "Why does he always look like there's an iron rod shoved up his asshole?"

"Maybe because there is?" Shōbō offered. "I'm surprised that Kimi agreed to the union so easily. I mean she was…" Shōbō trailed off as his eyes caught sight of Taisho crossing the courtyard located at the centre of the Western Castle. Yabai glanced from Kimi and Akio to Taisho.

"She was just rejected by Toga." Yabai finished what Shōbō started to say. The stealth masters both exhaled loudly and decided to drop the topic of Kimi, Akio, and Taisho's love triangle. The bitches of the Western Lands did enough gossiping for _all_ the dogs. And, in Yabai's point of view, gossiping emasculated him.

And he was very proud of his masculinity.

"I hope he lights the stupid fire soon." Shōbō murmured, eyeing the giant teepee of logs, twigs, and bark in the heart of the courtyard. "I need to get my sake going."

"You can't be _drunk_ and stand guard in the watchtower." Yabai sounded aghast. "Taisho will _personally_ feed you to the wolves."

Shōbō shrugged nonchalantly. "A tankard or two won't hurt me. Besides, Jin and Inazuma are taking over our posts after the fire is lit."

At that news, Yabai's eyes brightened. "You mean…"

Shōbō nodded, grinning wolfishly. "We can get our sake on."

_.xx._

Taisho glared at the giant stack of bark in the courtyard. He wasn't looking forward to people congratulating him in having the 'honour' of lighting the bonfire during the night of Kimi's declaration of marriage. Firstly, he hated attention.

Secondly, he knew that that Lynx was up to no good. He was using Kimi as a bridge to attain his real goal; Taisho _knew_ it. His gut was telling him that Akio could not be trusted.

And thirdly, did he mention he hated attention?

Exhaling loudly, Taisho stood alone at the foot of the pile of logs. Looking up at it, Taisho recalled the many Festivals of Fire he attended throughout his childhood. He had seen many of his peers celebrate with their family, complete with a mother and a father. Taisho never felt any regret in not knowing who his mother was; it was impossible to regret something he had never known to begin with, but he did feel for his father. Muteki was mated for quite some time before him and his mate, Tsukika, decided to have their first pup.

First of many.

But fate and destiny weren't on their side. Taisho lowered his head in an attempt to offer his respects to his mother when he felt a strong hand clamp on his shoulder. Glancing over, Taisho saw that his father had taken his place beside him—Taisho hadn't heard or sensed his father approach.

That was how deep in thought he was.

"Thinking?" Muteki asked and Taisho shrugged, turning back to the pile of wood that he would set on fire very soon.

"A little." Taisho murmured. "About mother. Do you believe she's watching over us?"

Muteki nodded, albeit very slowly. Taisho always, from birth, inquired about his mother. It tore Muteki apart every time to answer such questions, but he did, and did so without holding back. Taisho deserved to know what his mother was like. It wasn't his fault that Tsukika didn't make it, and Taisho should not be the one to pay the price and face the emotion his father felt.

"I believe so." Muteki finally whispered. "She's our guardian angel, Toga."

The corners of Taisho's lips tugged. His father was a wonderful, _wonderful _creature. Taisho brought his left hand up and rested it on his right shoulder, placing his hand on his father's. Both dogs took a moment to silently send their prayer up to the single woman that gave her life to give them both theirs. Taisho was everything to Muteki and if it weren't for Tsukika, he wouldn't have his pup by his side through day and through night.

"About Kimi…" Muteki finally said and Taisho stiffened. He didn't want to talk about it.

"I… think you did the right thing."

Well, Taisho didn't expect _that_.

"It is wrong to lead somebody on and if, after several attempts, one continues to refuse to accept rejection then harshness is required."

Taisho knew that his father was talking about him pushing her off when she kissed him. Though _he_ wasn't the one to tell him, word spread. The Legionnaires knew about the kiss and he would bet everything he owned that Kimi told her parents. And, since Ounou and Muteki were like brothers, it was inevitable that Muteki would find out.

"But the Lynx?" Taisho finally said his voice a husky soft whisper. It wasn't a secret that he cared about Kimi. Loved her? Not romantically, but as a friend he did. A lot. They _bathed_ together, for heaven's sake! Of _course_ he loved her!

Muteki's expression was grim, meaning that he was feeling the exact same way his son was. "I don't get it either, boy."

"Anything that could possibly be a motive is ruled out," Taisho spoke with professionalism, indicating exactly _why_ he was chosen to take over his father's previous position as the Leader of the Legion of Dogs. "They're using us to get to the Wolves… which wouldn't make sense since _we_ don't like the wolves."

"Maybe they knew about the blood contract?'

Taisho shook his head. "That doesn't _help_ them. We won't attack the wolves when they are obliged to submit to us. Tactically it's senseless. The Lynx cannot use us to defeat the wolves because we _won't_ hurt the wolves for the duration of the contract."

That made sense, in Muteki's opinion. "Okay, what other theories do you have?"

"The Lynx weren't actually extinct and now want to use us to come back to power?"

Muteki shook his head. "If that is the case then it'd be really idiotic on their part. We, along with the Wolves, are the most advanced races on the subcontinent. If the Lynx were hiding for _this_ long then they wouldn't have had the time _or_ resources that we had to advance their equipment and armour."

"Which is exactly why I ruled that theory out." Taisho sighed.

"Maybe he really is interested in her?"

Taisho snorted. From the corner of his eye he saw Kimi and Akio pass through the courtyard and lowered his voice. He didn't want Akio to know that they were speculating the reasons as to why he was betrothed to their princess. "Lynx are related to the Panthers." Taisho whispered. "And the Panthers refuse to mate out of their kind. I'm assuming the Lynx are just like them."

"And an interracial union between an inherent dog and an inherent cat doesn't make biological sense, correct?" Mutek quirked an eyebrow and Taisho nodded his head once.

"Correct."

"Then all theories are invalid."

"Unless we haven't explored _all_ theories yet." Taisho's voice dropped lower. He was afraid somebody was going to hear him. "We need to get Uncle Ounou in on this as well. He's the king of speculating conspiracy theories."

"Good call." Muteki's expression was stern. "I'll talk to him when the situation presents itself. _You_ should start preparing to light the bonfire… the Daiyoukai should be coming down any moment now."

Taisho pulled his father into a tight hug. "Thank you, father." He murmured into his father's elfin-like ear. The older demon smiled affectionately and returned the gesture.

"You make me proud, boy. If your mother were here, I'm sure she'd say the same."

For some reason, hearing his father say that lifted Taisho's spirits incredibly. Earning his mother's approval, a woman he didn't even know, was important to him and if Muteki said that his mother would've been proud… then… well…

His mother _definitely_ would've been proud.

_.xx._

Akio disappeared to have a little 'chat' with the Daiyoukai leaving Kimi all by her lonesome. Leaning against the top floor guardrail, she watched the happenings in the courtyard and her eyes rested, momentarily, on Taisho hugging Muteki. Kimi was _sure_ the news of her betrothal would spark some sort of emotion within the heart of the demon… but nothing.

_What do you expect?_ Kimi scoffed. _He doesn't care about you. That much he made obvious._

Whatever.

Kimi made a decision and knew that it was the right one. Taisho was obviously uninterested. Despite growing up together, Kimi was never able to spark any flames of passion in the Leader of the Legion's heart. Taisho always acted as if he had blinders on: a one-track mind.

He was determined to always achieve… an ambitious one, he was.

Kimi saw Muteki leave the courtyard and Taisho turn back to the giant pile of logs in front of him. She knew that he would be the one to light the bonfire, and she knew that he would be there, beside her, when her uncle made the announcement of her betrothal to Akio. How would she be able to look at him in the face when she _kissed_ him a few days ago?!

_Ugh, Kimi you're so stupid._ She scolded. No matter. Taisho was a chapter in her life long forgotten and she would move on and be happy with Akio. Together they would return the Lynx Tribe to their previous glory and lead the Dogs to an era of prosperity.

Life would be good.

Without Taisho.

_.xx._

It was time for Taisho to light the bonfire to signify the start of the three-day ceremony. Standing on the platform in front of the bonfire logs were the Daiyoukai, Kimi, Akio, Taisho, Ounou, and Kirei. Gathered around them were the members of the Legion and the majority of the Western Castle Village population. Though the regular civilians did not know who belonged to the Western secret legion of dogs, they knew that they were amongst the most elite fighters that the West had to offer.

Taisho was clutching onto a flaming torch. Any moment now he would throw the torch into the pit and watch the flames engulf the logs…

"DOGS! BITCHES!" Daiyoukai boomed as the moment drew near. "This moon's festival is unlike any other!" A murmur of excitement shot through the crowd.

"This moon's festival signifies the union of my beloved niece, Kimi, with Akio, the sole descendant of the Lynx Tribe!"

Those who knew cheered.

Those who didn't gasped.

"To mark the beginning of both the festival and the rest of my darling niece's life, I present my dear friend, Taisho!" The crowd cheered, the loudest being the stealth masters. The revered leader wasn't going to reveal Taisho's actual identity; there were regular civilians in the crowd and the identities of the members of the legion were to be kept a secret.

No exceptions. Ever.

Yabai cat-called loudly which earned him a glare from the Daiyoukai.

"Taisho," Daiyoukai turned to the leader of his legion, "will you do us the honour of lighting the fire? With the lighting of the bonfire will come a new beginning for the dogs, and a new beginning for the lynx!"

Taisho's eyes locked with Kimi's and he was silent for a moment. Her breath hitched as she watched Taisho's lips move, answering the question her uncle posed, but staring into her eyes with an intense force.

"I do, Daiyoukai." Taisho whispered as he threw the torch into the pit. The entire time, his eyes never left Kimi.

_.xx._

**No new characters were introduced in this chapter.**


	8. Festival of Fire III

**History of the Generals: Lord Inu no Taisho**

Inu no Taisho; arguably the most powerful daiyoukai of time. His journey has taken him across the land of Japan where he earns the respect of many, but the hatred of more. His story begins hundreds of years ago, when he was born in a village on the night of the New Moon. STORY I OF III.

_.xx._

_Festival of Fire III_

Sake was flying through the air and Taisho stood back, watching in sheer amusement. The wolves were the life of the festival, dancing and drinking in front of the blazing bonfire. Just behind the bonfire, underneath an arch that offered cool shade, sat Kimi and Akio. Their hands were interlaced and Akio was sipping on a goblet filled with some sort of alcoholic beverage.

Taisho shook his head and sipped his tankard of sake once more. His gut kept telling him that Akio was bad news but without any form of proof, Taisho couldn't voice his opinion to the Daiyoukai.

Especially when Akio was going to be the Daiyoukai's nephew-in-law.

That was hitting it too close to home.

Taisho's eyes scanned the surroundings and landed on his father bouncing a little wolf cub on his hip. Cocking an eyebrow in amusement, Taisho sipped his sake again. _Well I'll be damned._ Taisho saw Muteki rub his nose against the pup and noted that the pup giggled in sheer amusement. Its mother stood off to the side, beaming in happiness.

_I'll be double damned._

Taisho tore his gaze away from his father. It pained him to see his old dog coddle a child; it reminded him of his loss. In the pit of Taisho's stomach was the gnawing feeling of guilt. The dog demons—the _Legion_—was the reason that the wolf cub (Kouga, was it?) was fatherless. The Legion was the reason why _many_ wolf cubs were fatherless.

_Don't let emotions get you down._ Taisho thought strongly. It was the circle of life and if Taisho thought about every potential orphaned cub, than he'd accomplish only one thing: the extinction of the dog demon race. Their enemies would take advantage of Taisho's weakness and that would lead to their ultimate destruction.

As the leader of the Legion of Dogs, Taisho had to be emotionless.

Heartless.

Orphans shouldn't matter… but they _did_. And Taisho couldn't help it. Not being able to stomach the festivities any longer (the uplifting music, the laughter… the _pups_ and _cubs_ churned Taisho's stomach in guilt), so he left the courtyard.

Taisho had to be alone.

He wasn't aware, however, of the two pairs of eyes that followed him as he left: one belonged to Yabai, and the other to the bride-to-be.

_.xx._

Taisho sat in the armory, staring at the glistening Blade of the West that was resting on his lap. To be the leader of the Legion was an honour… his father was the leader, and so was his grandfather before him.

It was written in his destiny to be the Leader.

But Taisho wanted to be the Leader of the _West_—the Daiyoukai-, not the Leader of the Daiyoukai's _legion_. But nobody would understand his ambition. Hell, his own _father_ didn't. How could he expect anybody _else_ to?

Taisho closed his eyes momentarily. Nobody _would_ understand… that was what it came down to. Understanding…

No demon would recognize what he wanted and _why_ he wanted it. And he didn't want to explain the story at all. It was hard enough to try to explain to his father his reasoning; like _hell_ he was going to explain it to anybody else. Yabai and Susamajii-Inu, his two best friends, didn't even know his reasoning.

And Taisho was going to keep it that way; the fewer demons that knew about his dream, the better. However unrealistic it seemed, Taisho was determined to achieve it and make his mother _really_ proud.

"You going to sit here during all the festivities, Toga?"

Taisho looked up to see one of his aforementioned best friends leaning against the doorway to the armory. He knew he could count on Yabai (and Susamajii-Inu, if he were present and not away for training) to forego their own enjoyment to seek him out and inquire about how he was.

"Why not? I needed to get away." Taisho took the tankard of sake that Yabai offered him with appreciation. "Too much… noise…"

Yabai smirked and sat down beside Taisho on the bench. "Too happy seems more like it." Taisho's eyes snapped over and locked with Yabai's. He wasn't expecting his friend to be so observant. "I _know_ you Toga. I saw your expression change when you saw your father play with Kouga. You're thinking of how the cub is gonna grow up with one parent, like you, because we killed his father, right?"

Taisho was stunned. How could Yabai figure _all_ of that out just by the expression on his face?! Yabai laughed and pat his friend's back strongly.

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Taisho. I'm experienced when it comes to reading your emotions." And Yabai gave Taisho a final pat on the back before crossing his arms in front of him.

"It shouldn't matter." Taisho grumbled. "I can't get emotional when it comes to my job."

"Exactly. You should be out there celebrating life and Kimi and Akio's union." At the mention of Akio, Taisho's gaze darkened. The Legion knew of their leader's apprehension and they didn't blame him—there was something fishy about that Lynx demon and everybody in the secret service were on their toes.

"Yeah," Taisho sounded bitter. "Union. How long do you think before he reveals his true colours?"

Yabai shrugged and sipped from his tankard. "Hopefully soon. I know Jin and Shōbō are having bets. Jin says before the night of the new moon and Shōbō says it'll take him longer."

"I'm with Jin. Before the night of the new moon I'm going to hang him by his ball sacks on the lookout tower." Taisho rubbed his eyebrows, fatigue spreading to the corners of his body. "How does it make sense, Yabai? She's kissing me one night, and a day later she's ready to mate a demon from a supposed extinct clan?"

Yabai nodded, slowly. "It_ doesn't_ make sense. Do you…" Taisho looked up at his friend; Yabai's tone sounded like he had an idea that just might work. "Do you think we should contact the Panthers?"

Taisho's eyebrows shot up. Contact the Panthers? It was so outrageous that Yabai's idea just might _work_. If the Lynx were actually up to no good than they wouldn't expect the Dogs to contact the Panthers. Taisho already ruled out that the Lynx were trying to get to the Wolves, especially since the Dog and Wolf Clans were allies for at least the next thousand moons.

"That could lead us to something." Taisho mumbled. "It would also make sense to inform the Humans in the Northern Lands of what's happening. If the Lynx Tribe is trying to gain control of a landmass, it would make the most sense that they go after the weakest inhabitants."

Yabai's eyebrows were furrowed together. "And since the Lynx most probably _know_ that they don't stand a rats ass against us, the Wolves, and the Panthers… they could very well be going for the Humans and if Akio mates Kimi, than he has _us_, the Legion of Dogs, readily at his disposable because he's the future Daiyoukai's mate."

_Bingo_.

"We could've just cracked the mystery behind the Lynx." Taisho seemed amused and took another swig of his sake.

"Or we just made up a whole new conspiracy that actually has nothing to do with why lynx-shit is actually here."

Taisho chuckled. "Maybe." Silence blanketed the two friends briefly before Taisho spoke up again.

"Thanks."

Yabai snickered. "Don't become a pansy, oh great Leader. Now let's _go_ before the dancing is done. What better way to keep an eye on the wolves than to dance amongst their bitches?"

Taisho rolled his eyes. Yabai would _never_ change. And, inwardly, Taisho couldn't be gladder.

_.xx._

Taisho and Yabai strolled into the courtyard to see that the wolves and the dogs were intermingling. Muteki, Ounou, Inazuma, Jin, and Chishi were standing on guard for the evening which left the rest of the Legion to enjoy their time as they pleased. No danger was sensed but that wasn't reason to enough to have Taisho drop his guard.

"Maybe you should as the bride-to-be for a dance?" Yabai asked as he playfully nudged his friend. Taisho sighed and shook his head.

"You could apologize for being so harsh on her when she kissed you?"

Taisho looked surprised and glanced at Yabai. "Apologize?" That word seemed somewhat foreign to Taisho. He didn't easily apologize and the notion of apologizing for being _harsh_ on Kimi because she kissed him definitely did _not_ cross his mind.

The idea of it was so farfetched.

"Yes, great leader, _apologize_. You know, to take fault for your mistake and seek retribution?"

"I was at fault for nothing." Taisho muttered, stoically. Yabai snickered under his breath.

"My friend, when dealing with bitches—and I should know, I have _sisters_—we dogs are _always_ wrong, even when we're right."

Taisho didn't like that prospect. How could somebody be _wrong_ even when they're _right_? That didn't make sense in any way. But Yabai would know more; he had sisters and a mother, and Taisho didn't have any experience with bitches and their mood swings… other than Kimi. But growing up, she had always been one of the dogs.

Until she started having feelings for him.

_Life, why must thou be so complicated?_ Taisho thought bitterly._ I pray, please, for any pups that I may have that they do not have to go through this complicated mess that's supposedly called life. Keh._

"Come one!" Yabai grabbed hold of Taisho's upper arm. "Let's dance!" And without allowing his friend the opportunity to protest, Yabai dragged him off into the center of the courtyard, where a massive group of demons were dancing, forgetting about their worries as the sun began to dip past the horizon.

Taisho stood stunned, for a brief moment, as he watched Yabai get whisked away by a few familiar bitches. Not wanting to be standing there, alone, Taisho turned to leave but was abruptly stopped when he felt somebody grab hold of his wrist. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Kimi…

"Done dancing so soon?" She asked, her eyes dancing. Taisho, for a brief moment, thought about yanking his arm away and stalking off to drink in solitude but remembered what Yabai told him not even a heartbeat ago—

_Apologize_.

Dammit! He _hated_ it when Yabai was right…

He hated it when anybody other than _himself _was right.

"Why? Are you offering to keep me occupied for a bit longer?" Taisho responded warmly to his old friend. In the back of his heart he _knew_ he was being too rough with her. So Kimi had feelings for him… what was wrong with that? Other than the fact she kissed him but so _what_? Taisho _knew_ he could've been nicer.

But he wasn't.

And his guilt was eating at him alive. _Damn the conscience._

Laughing, Kimi wrapped her arms around his neck and Taisho, instinctively, put his hands on her hips and they both fell into the melody of the beat. Laughter echoed around them and, surprisingly, Taisho felt completely at ease. Kimi was grinning widely and for a split second in time, Taisho thought that perhaps Akio wasn't a bad guy… maybe he really _did_ want to wed Kimi because he had feelings for her?

_Emotions. Stop._

"I wanted to apologize," Kimi admitted and Taisho was taken back. Apologize? _But I was going to apologize!_

"For?"

"Kissing you."

Taisho gulped. Alright, he _was_ going to apologize, but that didn't mean he liked confrontations. And this conversation, right now, was as close to a confrontation as it was going to get. Taisho felt uncomfortable—Yabai was right, he was turning into a pansy.

_Gahh!_

"I apologize for being so rude." Taisho murmured in response and Kimi's eyes widened. Their orbs locked and the world, slowly, began dissolving around them. Taisho noted how beautiful his friend was… he always _knew_, but he never really studied it prior to then.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"I shouldn't have come onto you."

"I'm glad you're happy now though."

"Thank you." Kimi murmured. "I decided that waiting around wasn't going to do me any good. I've chosen to be happy."

"I want you to be."

"But just not happy with you, right?" Kimi's voice quivered slightly but she was trying really hard to keep a strong front. Taisho's shoulder's sagged.

"Kimi, I love you… as a friend. If I chose to be with you because of the sole reason that you have feelings for me…" He paused, trying to formulate his thoughts.

"We're practically immortal. Eternity is a long time when it's with somebody who doesn't return the same feelings you do." Taisho was finally able to say. "I care about you and I want you to be happy… but I know that you won't be as happy as you can be if you're with me. Do you get that?"

Kimi nodded, not being able to lock eyes with him. Why did he have to make _sense_?! Why couldn't he be irrational for even one fleeting moment in his life? Kimi was dejected, but she knew that what he said was right. She was acting childish; she let her emotions get the best of her.

"I do," she murmured. "So let's just enjoy the Festival of Fire as friends, hmm?" She smiled up at him but Taisho saw that the glimmer in her eyes earlier was gone. She was disappointed…

Why did he always disappoint her?

"It _is_ a day to celebrate the joys of life." Taisho whispered. "And your union with Akio."

"Yes," her voice was a whisper, just like his. "Union with Akio."

"If it's any consolation, I'll be taking part of the Western Race tonight." Taisho offered. One of the many games in the Festival of Fire was an obstacle race through the entire Western Lands. As the Leader of the Legion, Taisho was obligated (as per Daiyoukai's command) to take part in the race.

"I hope you lose." Kimi's lips tugged and Taisho couldn't help the laughter bubbling in the back of his throat.

"Do you hope I lose an arm too?"

"Both arms. And a leg."

Letting his laughter break through, Taisho pulled Kimi into his chest to give her a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. Melting into his warmth, Kimi tried to control the racing of her heart.

"Me too…"

_.xx._

**No new characters were introduced in this chapter.**

**I'm quite glad with how this story is going. I'm trying to make it seem as if Taisho has a lot of inner turmoil (which he does) but I'm trying for it to not weigh his character down. I want to show that as the Leader, he isn't perfect and that he has a lot going on in his world that other people are unaware of.**

**I'm proud of this story so far… some chapters could use a little bit more working on (which I will do when I feel like editing and reconstructing my stories), but overall, I'm satisfied and I want to thank everybody who're taking their time to read my story!**


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